The Saturday Chronicles
by Red Berin
Summary: A series of one-shots or related one-shots that revolves around the characters of the Saturday world. Family, romance, adventure, horror, tragedy. Anything you can imagine. Rated T for who knows what.
1. Nightmares

Hello everyone! It's been a really long time since I've posted anything to , and I've been itching to get back into the Secret Saturdays fandom. I have a little challenge for myself that I hope will be fun to you readers, so go ahead, have a read, and find out what's going on!

* * *

Doc finally closed the book he had been reading on ancient Babylonian mythology. He wasn't anywhere closer to figuring out what had happened when the Secret Scientists unearthed the Kur Stone. The late nights of searching never resulted in any findings and he was starting to get frustrated. He put the book back on the table, turned off the light, and walked to his bedroom.

He slowly opened the door so as not to disturb his sleeping wife. Navigating the dark room proved difficult, but Doc managed to find the dresser without making too much noise. He was about to grab pajamas when he heard a small cry behind him. He turned with a start, but was relieved to find out that it was just his wife. Ever since the Secret Scientists had tried to infiltrate Weird World, he had become more jumpy than usual.

Drew let out another whimper. Doc sat next to her and ran his fingers through her hair. "Drew," he said. "Drew, it's alright. You're just having a nightmare."

"Doc," she mumbled. "Get out of here…" She rolled over in her sleep toward her husband.

"Honey, wake up!" Doc said. He grabbed her shoulder and lightly shook it.

"Get away, Argost!" Drew said, louder now.

"Drew!" Doc exclaimed. He lifted Drew off of the bed and gently shook her again.

"Wha –?" Her eyes fluttered open and she tried to register her surroundings.

"You were having a nightmare, honey," Doc said as he brought her closer. "I think it was about Weird World."

"A nightmare?" Drew repeated. "Doc, I've been having dreams about Weird World almost every night since we went in. They're almost not nightmares anymore."

"Almost every night? Why didn't you tell me?"

Drew rested her head on Doc's shoulder. "You've been so busy with research lately. I didn't want to bother you with something else."

Doc sighed and ran his fingers through her hair again. "Drew, you could've told me. Even if I were getting anywhere with the Kur research, you're the most important thing to me. You and, of course, the baby." Doc smiled as he placed his other hand on Drew's stomach. "You said you've been having these nightmares since we infiltrated Weird World?"

Drew nodded. "You usually wake me from them when you come in to sleep."

"Do you have them again at all during the night?"

"No. Just when I'm sleeping by myself."

"Oh, Drew," Doc whispered. "I'll go to sleep when you do from now on."

"You don't have to do that, Doc. We need to know just what this Kur Stone does," Drew protested.

"I don't want you to have these nightmares any more. Weird World was enough of a nightmare for one lifetime. You don't need these ones as well."

"Thank you so much, sweetie. It will be nice to sleep without visiting Weird World again," Drew smiled. Doc stood up and joined her on the other side of the bed. He fell asleep holding his wife in his arms, daring any stray nightmare to bother her.

* * *

Short and sweet. So, about that challenge. I want to start a collection of one-shots (related or "un") that all focus on the Secret Saturdays. It's an idea inspired by Soraya the All Speaker's "Tales of the Leaves." (If you don't know what that is and you love Tsunade/Jiraiya, check it out!) I'd love to take ideas from readers and make them into one-shots. Let me know through reviews what you would like to see written. Please, no mature/weird themes (incest, pedophilia, etc.). Also, I don't think I'll be able to include anyone's OC in a one-shot. So ideas have to only include canon characters in appropriate situations.

I don't know how big this is gonna be. It's either going to flop, be normal, or be blown up. We'll just have to wait and see!


	2. An Excellent Plan

Hello all! I'm back with another one-shot already! This one's a bit reflective, so prepare yourselves for that. It might also be used for any future other dimension one-shots that pop into my head because of its setting and such. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

Zak Saturday, or Zak "Monday", as his nemesis took to calling him, had failed. Zak Saturday never fails. This had to be a fluke, a mistake in some kind of grand system. There was no way that the outcome of his encounter with the other-dimensional Saturdays should have turned out the way it did. Now he was stuck with his stupid family in this stupid world. He was no closer to escaping than he had been before.

His mother had become intolerable after the family's failure. She constantly complained about everything and everyone. Not only that, but she blamed everyone but herself for the failure. Zak was sure that if it wasn't for her, they would be wreaking havoc in the other dimension.

Komodo was the only one that he could really talk to, not that that was much different from before. The lizard had begrudgingly accepted the family's failure and had immediately started devising a plan to get back into the other dimension and get their revenge. The catch? Komodo's plan only included Zak and himself. Zak liked that plan.

It would only be a matter of time before the Saturday family had to relocate again. They had found refuge in a small underground cavern. Things were cramped, dark, and uncomfortable, but the place kept the family safe from Argost, at least.

Zak wondered if his goody-two-shoes counterpart had an Argost in his world. Would that Argost be the opposite of the one in this world? Would that Argost be cruel, calculating, brilliant, and sadistic? Now that Zak thought about it, he would rather of his Argost over the supposedly evil one, anyways. His Argost was incredibly dumb, just like Zak's father. This Argost had somehow managed to land his own television show and made it into the laughingstock of the entire world.

Once on the show, he mentioned of the horrid things the Saturdays had done. He vowed that he would use his power to stop them. The entire Saturday family had a great laugh at that. It was a rare moment when the family actually agreed on something; they agreed that Argost was a bumbling fool.

The family was a bunch of fugitives, running from the law and an imbecile of a man who swore to stop them. What Zak needed was a world where his reputation wasn't yet tarnished, a world where he could do whatever he wanted, destroy whatever was in his way, and torture anything and anyone for the fun of it. He was tired of this world. He wanted to go back to the days when being evil was fun and when it didn't constantly lead to being shut up in some cramped living space with his unbearable family. Things were predictable now, and that bored him almost to tears.

The only way things would improve is if Komodo's plan worked. He needed to get into that other dimension. Not only that, but he had to kick the other Saturdays out of it and into his own. Not only would he have that world as his sandbox, but both Saturday families would constantly fight each other. The world would plummet into chaos with the mixture of matter and anti-matter. It was a wonderful thought and Zak was almost sad that he would miss all of that destruction. However, some sacrifices had to be made for his own good. Sacrificing two families for his freedom? It sounded like an excellent plan to him.

* * *

That was admittedly fun to write! Writing little snippets like this is relaxing and it makes me think. Well, enough about me. Thanks for reading! Have any ideas for a one-shot you'd like to read (that you don't want to write yourself)? Let me know and I'll try my best to make it happen! (Disclaimer: No mature themes, no slash (I just don't think I could convincingly write that), and no OCs from other stories please!)


	3. A Business Deal

We're almost up to 100 hits! It doesn't seem like much, but hey, that's exciting to me.

* * *

"Welcome Mister… Uh… Mister?" the man's Russian accent was as strong as Doyle remembered it.

"Blackwell. Doyle Blackwell." Doyle said. He didn't shake the man's outstretched hand, but this man didn't look too unsettled about it.

"Wonderful. I'm pleased to finally meet –"

"Let's get right to things, huh? I know who you are," Doyle interrupted as he folded his arms.

Van Rook stared at the man in front of him, slightly taken aback. "This is a business deal, you know. Manners probably wouldn't kill you."

"Manners? I've got by without them for over twenty years, buddy. I'm doing fine without them," Doyle said, not taking his eyes off Van Rook.

The older man laughed. "I can't tell if I like you or if I want to punch that smug mouth right off your face!"

"Go ahead, try me," Doyle mumbled. He didn't care if his temper was already making the best of him, but he was an impatient man.

Van Rook laughed again. "You've got nothing on me," he said. He raised his sleeve up to reveal a wrist band loaded with grenades.

Doyle stared at the weapon for a moment before saying grudgingly, "Alright. What is this business plan of yours?"

"You're currently nothing but a man who lives day to day searching for his next job, no matter how awful it might be. If you don't find anyone willing to hire you as a… what do you call yourself? A mercenary, you resort to scrounging for scraps or even stealing food," Van Rook said.

"Did you want to meet me just so you can make fun of me? I've been fine on my own for as long as I can remember, okay?"

"I am willing to take you on as my apprentice," Van Rook stated.

Doyle was taken aback. "Your apprentice? I'll be like your student?"

"Of sorts, yes. Questionable people from all around the world know me. They want me to do dangerous jobs for them, jobs I'm starting to realize I can't always finish on my own," Van Rook explained.

"What, so I'll be your helper monkey?" Doyle snarled.

Van Rook sighed. He reconsidered his idea to find help, but he remembered that Doyle was a pretty talented mercenary. A man in Doyle's predicament should be desperate for any job he could get and Van Rook needed an extra hand if he hoped to pull off some of the bigger jobs clients were offering. "Not a helper monkey. I will teach you the proper way of a mercenary. Clients will practically beg you to pull off jobs for them. The mercenary business isn't all about finishing jobs, you know. You have to think like your client in order to get the most money out of it. That is something I can teach you."

Doyle had to admit that he didn't know the first thing about prices. For all he knew, every one of his clients could have ripped him off, but he would never admit that to this man.

"Not only will I teach you proper money management, but I can also teach you how to get and use some of the best weapons in the trade without ever paying too much," Van Rook smirked, waving his wrist blaster.

Everything Van Rook said sounded like gold to Doyle. He wouldn't have to worry about where he would find his next meal if he worked for this man. Maybe, one day, he could even make a comfortable living out of the mercenary business. "Van Rook, you've got yourself a deal."

"That is wonderful news. Now, let's talk about your salary, shall we?"

* * *

Hey look! A one-shot with Doyle! *hides from fangirl stampede* Anyways, I found out that I really like writing Van Rook and Doyle. Those two are hilarious.

I'll try and have another one for you tomorrow (or later today, even). I'm not sure what it will be about yet, but I have a couple ideas churning around in my mind. Perhaps even a small little series to put inside here? A story inside a story! Whoo! Thanks for reading everyone and leave a lovely review if you'd like!


	4. Separate Paths

Cryptvo suggested that I do a story about Doyle and Abbey! I apologize for not getting to that idea sooner, I didn't see it in a review until today. Sorry, cryptvo! I hope I don't sound too choppy here. I had no idea where I wanted to go with this, but now I can say I'm proud of it. It's pretty reflective, like the Zak Monday one was.

* * *

Watching her go was difficult to say the least. Doyle knew that she had betrayed his family, but she had said that it was only for the money. He knew the Saturdays would never understand that. However, the orphan side of him that had come to make a living as a mercenary understood her completely. When he lived that way, things weren't about doing what was right. Things were about doing whatever it took to get the job done. He had done a few things that he could say he wasn't proud of, but those actions kept him from starving.

So just exactly what kind of position was Abbey in that she had to do whatever it took for money? Surely her sister wouldn't leave her to fend for herself. Miranda had millions at her disposal. If she could get her hands on it to constantly rebuild and upgrade Deadbolt, she could surely use it to help out her sister. What was it then? Was it simply her preferred method of living?

Something inside Doyle clicked. Could that really be the way Abbey lived? Was that how her mind worked? If it was, she was just like him. He could live a comfortable life with his sister's family. Doc certainly wouldn't be too happy about it, but Drew would convince him to let Doyle stay with them. He would never be able to live that way, though. He refused to live at the mercy of his sister.

Abbey, he realized, was just the same. She could live in the life of luxury with Miranda's piles of money. She refused to because she didn't want to live at the mercy of her sister. Doyle realized that he and Abbey lived in the same situation. They should be perfect for each other, right?

No, he supposed they weren't a match made in Heaven. She still lived like his younger self did. Before he met with Drew again, Doyle would've betrayed anyone for a job well done. Now that he had formed proper relationships that weren't all about business, he was starting to see that some things were more important than money. Before he got to know his family, especially Zak, he knew for a fact that he would've betrayed them in an instant if it meant a good, solid pay. Now that he had reconnected with Drew and unofficially made Zak his protégé, he wouldn't dream of betraying them. When he really thought about it, he wouldn't even consider betraying Doc, even if the two didn't see eye to eye. He couldn't do that to Drew and Zak.

That's where Doyle and Abbey walked separate paths. He had come to learn that survival meant less to him than love. Abbey had yet to learn that. Doyle didn't know what kind of relationship she had with Miranda, but it must not be good if she could betray her trust so easily.

He wondered if he would get to talk to her again one day. He knew things would never be the same between them, but he hoped that he would find some way to do it. Maybe if they talked, he could tell her that love wasn't all about money. Having strong relationships was much better. Would she believe him? It could take a while, just as it did for him and the Saturdays. It might have been wishful thinking, but he dreamed of teaching her to love. He wanted her to learn to love life. Most of all, he wanted her to love him, just as much as he believed he could love her.

* * *

I really enjoyed writing that one. Things started to fall into place when I really thought about their relationship. Thanks for reading everyone, and ideas are welcome! Just leave them in a review!


	5. Mind Games

Here is the start of that (supposedly) ten-parter I mentioned in "A Business Deal." That means that this little story is a story inside of a story! I'm not quite sure where this one will go, but I'm sure it will be quite an adventure.

* * *

Argost led Zak through the heavy doors before they slid shut behind them. It practically killed Zak to leave behind his protesting family, especially his mother. However, with Van Rook dead and the lives of millions, if not billions of others at stake, Zak decided it was time to end the War of the Cryptids.

"My dear boy, why don't you tell me what you think my plan is? Humor me," Argost said as he led the way down a flight of stairs.

Zak thought about everything he knew about Argost. "I think you want my Kur powers to yourself. Then there would be only one Kur."

Argost laughed, "Oh no, that's not my plan at all. Although I must admit, I did consider that plan for the longest time. With only one Kur, I would have no opposition you know. However, my powers are from Zak Monday, as you call him. My powers are of a different dimension than yours. Not only that, but they are your anti-powers. Therefore, they do not mix."

Just what was Argost up to, then? Zak hoped that he wouldn't have known about the chaos and destruction matter and anti-matter caused when in each other's presence. If he knew about that, then what would Argost do?

"Be patient, young Kur. All will be revealed soon enough," Argost said. He led Zak into a stone chamber that contained nothing but a couple statues on the far end of the wall. He stopped in the middle of the room and turned to Zak. "Tell me, boy. What do you want most right now?"

Zak answered without hesitation, "I want this war to end."

"I can stop it for you."

That struck Zak speechless. He stared at his nemesis, the one who had started the entire war. Now, here he was, saying he could stop all of the fighting. After several long moments, Zak asked, "What's the catch?"

"What? I can't do something nice for you?" Argost teased.

Zak had finally reached the end of his patience. Van Rook was dead because of this monster and countless others possibly had lost their lives as well. "I'm tired of this nonsense, Argost! I know as well as you do that this war isn't going to end just because you said it will!"

"I can end your war."

Zak stopped in his tracks. He stared at the Yeti and said, "You're planning on killing me?"

"I've been trying to kill you even before I knew you were Kur. You reacted like this is something new," Argost sighed, as if Zak's impending death was nothing but just an obstacle to overcome. "However, I have come to believe that killing you would not be in my best interest, so you have earned yourself a reprieve. For now, anyways."

Zak wasn't sure if this information was a relief or just something more to worry about. "Then just what are you planning, Argost?"

"All will be revealed as soon as we get to my lab. I have a gift waiting for you there."

It took all of Zak's willpower not to run back up the steps to his parents. Argost was a madman, and he was admittedly terrified of him. He wanted nothing more than to run into the outstretched arms of his mother and listen to his father's reassurances that everything would be okay in the end. However, this was war and everything would be okay in the end for only one side. Zak could only hope and pray that the okay side would be his own.

Argost led Zak through a hidden door between a pair of statues. The two traveled down a dimly lit hallway before entering another room. Argost's lab would definitely be a sight to see if Zak wasn't so fearful of what was to come. Machines and gadgets were everywhere around the lab. Zak couldn't be sure what most of them did. A large screen took up one wall of the lab. It currently displayed a map of the world with glowing red circles on cryptid battle hotspots. The room was dimly lit like the hallway.

"You'll have to excuse the lighting. I prefer to work without light glaring into my face," Argost said. He led Zak over to a metal stand towards the back of the lab. "Here's something I've been working on that I think you'll be quite familiar with.

A reinforced dome encased a neural parasite. Zak noticed that there was something different, though. It was smaller and now flesh-colored. The wings and tail were much smaller than before. "I've been working on this for a while now," Argost started. "I've been designing it specifically for today."

"What are you going to do with it?" Zak asked tentatively, fearing he knew the answer.

Argost removed the dome and used one hand to place the parasite into the other. "You're telling me you haven't figured it out yet? I had hoped my lessons didn't just teach you about cryptids."

Zak turned on the spot and tried to run for the door. His escape plan proved to be short-lived as Argost reached out and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "I can't wait to see your family struggle to get this parasite off of you. They will be mortified when they discover only I know how to remove it."

Struggling, twisting, and turning all were futile attempts against Argost's vice-like grip. That didn't stop Zak from trying, though. He pulled against Argost's strength, but he soon felt the Yeti's furry hand at the nape of his neck. The parasite latched onto Zak's skin and firmly planted itself in place. Zak's struggling slowly weakened as his thoughts blurred. Eventually, the world around him faded to black.

* * *

This little story came from my thoughts about the last episode. I always thought that Argost should've known about the whole matter versus anti-matter chaos thing. I'll try to have the next chapter (section, whatever) out tomorrow, but I honestly can't promise that. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review! :D


	6. The Beginning of the End

Welcome to Chapter 2 of The Real War of the Cryptids! Enjoy!

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With the Nagas defeated, Drew smashed through the stone wall and ran into the cavern. Doc, Doyle, Fisk, Komodo, and Zon followed closely behind. "Where are they?" she yelled. "The door they went through would've brought them in here!"

Doc stepped past his wife and looked up the stairs to the stone door. "You're right. That's the door they went through. There's no other way out, unless there's some hidden door we're missing."

"I certainly wouldn't put it past Argost," Doyle mumbled. He began feeling the walls around the room for any sign of a door.

"We have to hurry up. Who knows what that freak has planned for Zak?" Drew followed Doyle's example and began searching on the opposite side of the chamber.

After several frenzied minutes of searching, Doc spoke up. "Hey! I think I've found something! The bricks on this wall don't match quite as well as the others do." He traced the outline of what he thought was a door with his hand. He stepped back and said to himself, "Now, how do we open this?"

Before Doc could figure it out, the door opened to reveal Argost and Zak. "Greetings and bienvenue, Mr. Saturday. I am sure you are relieved that your son remains relatively untouched."

"'Relatively?' Just what do you mean by that, Argost?" Drew asked, tightening her grip on her Fire Sword.

"Mini-man!" Doyle called out. "What did this freak do to you?"

Zak's family waited for an answer, but they soon discovered that he would give none. He simply stared off into the distance. It was as if he was concentrating on something no one else could see.

Fisk babbled incoherently, pointing worriedly at his brother. Drew hurried over to her son and dropped to one knee in front of him. "Zak? Baby boy?" When he didn't respond, her voice became frantic. "Zak! What did Argost do to you?"

Zak blinked and tilted his head down to look at his mother. She gasped when she only found emptiness in his eyes. "What did you do, Argost?" she said, furious.

"Let's just say your son has simply learned that putting up any resistance to me is futile. He has joined my side, the only side that will remain alive after all is said and done," Argost grinned maliciously.

Drew quickly stood up and brought her sword up to Argost's neck. "Whatever you've done, you better fix it fast."

Argost only laughed in response. "Zak, would you kindly take care of this for me? Remove your family from my home! Make it quick!"

Zak's eyes suddenly filled with anger. He pointed his claw at Drew, mimicking her threat to Argost.

"Zak! What are you doing?" Drew stepped back, lowering her sword.

"My young Kur will kindly escort you out of the house," Argost said. He gave the family a little wave before stepping back to watch the action.

Zak swung his claw at Drew, but she jumped out of the way. Doc ran over to stop his son, but Fisk ran to meet him. The two grabbed each other's arms and struggled to overpower the other. "Fisk, what are you doing?" Doc shouted. He looked up at the cryptid to see that his eyes glowed red.

"Doc, he's –"

"Controlling Fisk, Zon, and Komodo! I know!" Doc shouted back.

Doyle ran over to help Drew, but Komodo and Zon blocked his way. Zon made an attempt to attack him, but he ducked.

"Now, Zak! Finish your family! Make sure they can't stop our world domination!" Argost cackled. With a roar, Zak swiped at Drew again. She blocked it with her sword, only to have to dodge his next strike.

Fisk overcame Doc's strength and managed to pin him against a wall. The two then traded blows, each blocking the other's attack. Doyle was forced to take flight in order to avoid the invisible Komodo, but he was in Zon's domain. "Drew, Doc!" he called. "We need to get out of here!"

"I won't leave without Zak!" Drew shouted back.

"We'll get ourselves killed if we keep fighting like this! We can't save Zak like this!" Doyle managed to push Zon away from him. "I'll clear the way ahead!" he yelled as he flew out of the hole in the chamber wall.

"Drew, he's right! We have to get out of here!" Doc powered up his glove and used it to throw Fisk out of the way. "Let's go!" With a growl, Drew turned away from her son and followed her husband and brother.

"Stop them, Kur! They're getting away!" Argost shouted. Zak chased after his family with his cryptid family in tow. He sent them ahead to try and catch his family, but it was too late. Drew, Doc, and Doyle outran them and ran out of Weird World and safely onto the airship.

Argost, who had followed Zak, gave a frustrated roar. Zak took his place at his master's side. "It is quite alright, my dear boy. Your family will perish soon enough. The War of the Cryptids has only just begun and I shall bring humanity to its knees! Anyone who resists will be met with death!"

* * *

Oh Argost, you ARE bloodthirsty. Thanks for reading, don't forget to review, and check out The Saturday Chronicles if you're interested! This story's posted there along with a couple one-shots!


	7. Public Enemy Number One

I really hope you all forgive me for constantly double-posting this. Once it's over, (and if you can put up with my writing!) you can read more one-shots in The Saturday Chronicles. This is sorta just a short fanfic that I think should be included in the chronicles story, but it does well to stand on its on as well.

* * *

Doc, Drew, and Doyle had gathered on the airship to brainstorm a plan to save Zak. After their disastrous run-in with the brainwashed boy, they all agreed that they had to come up with a plan besides bursting onto the scene and attacking right away. Drew sat at the table with her head in her hands while Doc rubbed his hand up and down her back. Doyle paced the room, deep in thought. No one had spoken for almost a half hour and no plans had come to mind.

Finally, Doyle exclaimed, "Come on! What are we doing? You two are Secret Scientists and I'm one of the greatest mercenaries! We have to come up with something!"

"We're trying, Doyle. Most of the plans we come up with allow us some leeway for violence, though," Doc pointed out.

"So we won't get aggressive! We'll remain defensive or something!"

"That's just what Argost wants us to do," Drew sighed. "He knows we won't hurt Zak or any of our cryptids and he plans to exploit that as much as he can."

"The man's an evil genius," Doc said grudgingly. "He stops the only people who can stop him by using one of their own as a human shield. It's filthy, underhanded, despicable –"

"Wonderful adjectives honey, but they don't get us closer to solving the problem," Drew grinned sadly.

"I think our issue is that we don't know what Argost is using to control Zak," Doyle stated. "It's obvious that he's controlling him somehow, but we don't know how yet."

"Could it be a neural parasite?" Doc asked.

"It could be, but I don't remember seeing one on him. I didn't hit him hard enough for one to jump off, either," Drew said.

"Do you think the other Secret Scientists could help out here? I'm stumped," Doc said, heading over towards the device the Saturdays used to contact their coworkers.

"I'd rather not get them involved just yet, Doc," Drew said, stopping him. "Arthur nearly killed our son the last time he was around him. I don't want to think about what they would do if they saw he was being controlled by Argost now."

"You're right. I guess we shouldn't contact them until we can find out more about whatever Argost is doing to Zak," Doc said as he sat back down.

The three fell into silence once more. Their conversation had allowed them to voice their thoughts, but they were no closer to saving Zak than before. Doc stood up and turned on the large screen to a breaking news report.

"Millions of people all over the world are desperately searching for safe places to hide from the growing onslaught of strange creatures. These creatures, unlike before, seem to be fighting with each other to kill as many humans as possible. It truly is a grim sight to see, as it appears that two people, a man and a boy, are egging these creatures on to attack."

A picture of Zak and Argost appeared on the screen. Argost was grinning evilly in his picture while Zak had the same anger in his eyes as when he fought his mother. The reporter spoke again, "If anyone has information regarding either of these two, they are asked to contact the police immediately."

Doyle chuckled darkly. "Just what do the police hope to do? Argost will stop them in seconds."

The screen beeped and changed to show a meeting room where all of the Secret Scientists had gathered.

"Great," Drew mumbled.

"Doc, Drew, did you two know your son is running rampant alongside Argost?" Beeman asked angrily.

"What's going on?" Miranda added.

"Argost has managed to gain control of him somehow," Doc explained.

"With what, a neural parasite?" Cheechoo questioned.

"It's possible, but we're not sure," Drew explained. "Argost's managed to brainwash Zak at Weird World. He used him to fight against us and turned Komodo, Fisk, and Zon against us."

"You realize," Epsilon began, "that your son is a threat to our entire planet?"

When Drew, Doc, and Doyle didn't answer, Beeman spoke up again. "We have to treat him like Public Enemy Number One, you know. Our six month grace period is null and void."

"It was null and void when you decided to try and kill him with those sound waves you had from the Flute of Gilgamesh!" Drew's temper flared.

"That's of no importance right now," Epsilon said, calm as ever. "We have to treat your son as if he is a mass murderer."

"A mass murderer?" Doc, Drew, and Doyle repeated at the same time.

"He has the capability to wipe out large numbers of the population. We have to treat him on the same level as Argost," Cheechoo explained.

"Our son is being controlled by –" Drew started to yell, but she was interrupted when there was a loud crash on the Secret Scientists' side.

Cheechoo stood up to investigate, but there was no need. There was another crash as the door in the background was knocked off its hinges and onto the floor.

Doc, Drew, and Doyle watched in horror as Argost and Zak stepped into the Secret Scientists' room, accompanied by several, vicious-looking cryptids. The scene developed into chaos as the scientists fended off the cryptids sent after them.

Zak walked straight through the mayhem over to the Secret Scientists' screen. He was the last thing his family saw before the scientists' end of communication was disconnected entirely.

* * *

Things got a bit confusing at the end there and I apologize. I'll have the next chapter up tomorrow (or maybe even later today), so you all can look forward to that! Thanks for reading and review if you're interested!

A quick side story before I end this. Has anyone ever heard of the movie All About Eve? I watched it tonight for the second time and I think it just may be my favorite movie!


	8. A Rescue Attempt

Sorry that this chapter's coming out a little later than I expected. It's kinda action-y, I guess, but nowhere near what's to come!

* * *

"We have to go now!" Doc shouted. He ran for the cockpit with his wife and brother-in-law behind him.

"Get the airship to go as fast as it can. I'm afraid the Secret Scientists won't hold back in this fight with Zak," Drew said as she took her seat and buckled up.

The Secret Scientists had met together at Henry Cheveyo's outpost at the Mesa Observatory in Arizona. Fortunately, the trip would only take ten minutes with the airship at its fastest speed. Unfortunately, those ten minutes were the longest minutes of Doc, Drew, and Doyle's lives.

When the airship finally touched ground, the three all ran as fast as they could off of the ship. Getting into Cheveyo's outpost proved easy as Argost had managed to somehow blast the entrance open.

"What's our plan?" Doc asked.

"We have to keep the Secret Scientists from hurting Zak, but keep Argost away from them!" Drew answered.

"Nothing's ever easy with you guys, is it?" Doyle mumbled. He adjusted his weapons as he ran, unsure of what exactly to expect.

The three reached the room the Secret Scientists had been in, only to find it empty and completely trashed. "They really did a number on this place," Doc mused.

"Are they fighting somewhere else, then?" Drew asked as she glanced around the room. "Maybe in Cheveyo's hangar or something?"

"You're quite correct, Mrs. Saturday."

Drew, Doc, and Doyle jumped in shock and turned to find Argost standing in the doorway they had just come through.

"Greetings and bienvenue to the three of you," he said as he took a step into the room.

"Argost! Where's Zak?" Drew unsheathed her Fire Sword and pointed it at Argost.

"The young Kurling is holding his own against the Secret Scientists. He's a most skilled fighter, you know. I just had to unlock his true potential by allowing him to fight for the rights of cryptids everywhere," Argost said.

"Drew, go get Zak away from the scientists. Doyle and I will keep Argost back," Doc instructed as he turned on his Power Glove.

Argost smirked. "I'm afraid I won't be that easy to lose, Mr. Saturday. I did not come to fight you unfairly, after all." He stepped aside to reveal the Xing-Xing. Its eyes glowed green and it looked none too happy to be there.

"Doyle, take care of the Xing-Xing! I'll get Argost!" Doc shouted. He charged at the Yeti, only to be showered with Devonian Annelids.

Doyle caught the Xing-Xing, preventing it from clawing at his face. He held it away from him at arms' distance and said, "Drew, go get Zak!"

"You're not taking on these two by yourself!" Drew protested.

Doc charged Argost and knocked him to the floor. "Go now! We can handle things here!"

Drew knew her husband was only trying to make her feel better. He wouldn't last much longer against the Annelids and as skilled as Doyle may be, he couldn't handle the Xing-Xing and Argost on his own. Drew rushed to her husband's side and started pulling Annelids off of him.

"What are you doing? I told you to go get Zak!" Doc tried to push Drew away.

"I can't leave you two here in this shape. At least let me even the odds a bit," Drew said as she pulled off another annelid.

When she pulled the final one off, Doc felt the effects immediately. With a grin, he rushed at Argost, his Power Glove itching to fight.

Only then did Drew decide that she could leave Doc and Doyle to fight. She trusted that they would handle themselves well now that the odds were a bit more even. She ran out of the meeting room and quickly found the way to the hangar.

The room was in complete chaos. It was difficult to tell which side was winning. Fisk, Komodo, and Zon each put up a good fight against the Secret Scientists while Zak managed to fight well on his own while controlling his cryptid pets.

Beeman spotted Drew and shouted, "Control your son!"

Drew was admittedly relieved to see that the scientists hadn't managed to stop Zak. If they had, he surely wouldn't be in good condition. He was personally fighting Cheechoo, a match that looked like it was pretty even. Drew ran to the side of the fight, unsure of what to do.

"Feel free to help any time, Drew!" Cheechoo called out as he blocked one of Zak's attacks with the claw.

The idea was a long shot, but it was the only thing Drew could think of. "Zak!" she called out. "Zak, it's Mommy!"

At first, her call didn't seem to have any effect. She continued to call Zak's name, hoping that he would somehow hear her. Finally, Zak's attacks faltered. He stopped fighting Cheechoo completely, and turned his now empty stare on Drew.

Something seemed to flash in Zak's eyes, leaving them burning with anger. He swung his claw at Drew, who just managed to block with her sword. "Zak!" she exclaimed, taken aback.

There was nothing in his face or movements to suggest that he had heard her. He lifted his claw to attack again, but Drew grabbed at the chance he left open. She tackled Zak to the ground, pinning him there. She checked the back of his neck and to her relief, found a parasite. However, that relief quickly turned to horror when she realized she couldn't remove it.

Cheechoo bent down and helped Drew control the struggling Zak. Fisk, who had been freed of Zak's control when he hit the floor, lifted Zak off the ground and imprisoned him in a bear hug.

"What do you plan on doing with him, Drew?" Cheechoo asked, staring at the restless boy.

"There's no time to talk, Argost is still here!" Drew was about to go back to the meeting room when Doyle and Doc stepped into the hangar.

"Argost is gone. He escaped with the Xing-Xing," Doc said.

"He just left Zak behind?" Drew asked.

Doyle nodded. "We tried to stop him from escaping, but we just couldn't do it."

Drew looked at Zak, who was still fighting to break free from Fisk's grasp. "Zak has some sort of parasite on him, but I can't get it off. We need to keep him safe until we can figure out what to do with it."

Doc grimaced. "I have a hunch that only Argost knows how to get rid of it."

* * *

Whew, that was a difficult chapter. I wasn't sure where I wanted to go with it. I'm glad to have it done, though. Please, please, please excuse any weird errors or mistakes, it's 5:15 AM here and I'm not quite sure I'm entirely here. In any case, thanks for reading and review if you'd like (I would sure like!)!


	9. Night Watch

Whoo! Chapter 5 is here! This one's more of a "revelation" chapter. You'll see what I mean. Enjoy!

* * *

"You're quite sure that you'll be able to keep Zak under control until you can find a way to remove that parasite?" Miranda asked.

"I think we have decent containment rooms on the airship," Doc said.

"I'm just worried, Doc. You know we can't do anything to help Zak if he finds Argost again. We'll all be trying to kill him again," Miranda said. Doc hoped that the remorse in her voice wasn't imaginary.

"From what I saw today, Zak can fend for himself pretty well," Drew smiled.

"Don't remind me, okay?" Miranda groaned. She had had a rough time fighting against Zon and it wasn't something she wanted to do again anytime soon.

Doyle walked into the room, effectively silencing everyone. "Mini-man's locked up nice and safe. Fisk's watching over him right now, but he's just been sitting there, staring."

"Good," Doc said. "I guess we'll be leaving then."

"We'll try and figure out how to get the parasite off of him without getting Argost involved," Drew said.

Miranda nodded. "In the meantime, we'll try and track Argost as best as we can. If things look fishy or dangerous, we'll let you know immediately."

"Sounds like a plan," Drew said. She turned and left the hangar with Doc and Doyle in tow.

Now that Zak was in custody and the Secret Scientists had formed some kind of plan, the situation was starting to look much better. Although no one knew how to remove Argost's parasite, Zak was safely contained on the airship where he wouldn't hurt anyone. The Saturday cryptids were back to normal and not out to hurt anyone. The situation may have still been grim, but at least it wasn't hopeless.

On the walk back to the airship, Doc, Doyle, and Drew discussed how they might get rid of the parasite. "We might have to go back to Weird World if we want to find out how to remove it," Doyle suggested.

"We should do everything we can to try and get rid of it ourselves before we resort to going back to Weird World," Doc said. The airship bridge lowered and the three boarded.

"Doc's right. When we're not investigating the parasite, at least one of us should guard Zak at all times," Drew pointed out.

"It's getting late," Doc stated. "You two should get some sleep. I'll stay up and watch Zak for the night."

Drew began to protest, "Not the whole night, Doc! You must be –"

"I'll stay up with him. I can also start looking at the parasite. If I'm right, Zak only does anything if Argost tells him to. I'll be safe," Doc explained.

Doyle was happy to accept the plan. "Sounds good to me. I'll see you in the morning then," he yawned and walked off to his room.

"Be careful, okay?" Drew said. She gave Doc a quick kiss before saying, "Wake me up if you need anything or if you get too tired."

Doc watched her head off towards their bedroom. With a yawn, he walked to the airship's containment area. He placed his Power Glove on a table outside of the area so that he could get a look at the parasite without the glove getting in his way.

The containment area was a rarely used room. One wall was all Plexiglas so anyone being held could be watched. The rest of the walls were made out of steel. There was a simple cot in the room along with a toilet and sink. Doc noted the resemblance of a jail cell, but he reminded himself that the containment area kept Zak safe.

When Doc entered, he found Zak sitting on the cot. He stared blankly at a spot on the opposite wall. "Hi, Zak," Doc ventured to say. He didn't expect a response and received none. "I'm just going to take a look at this parasite you have, okay? Maybe I can find a way to remove it."

Doc sat down next to Zak on the cot. He gently pushed his son's head forward a bit and lifted up his hair. Argost had definitely put some time into upgrading the parasite. This new model was a little glowing yellow circle that resembled a button. Doc put his fingers around it and tried to pull it off of Zak's neck. The parasite didn't come off. Doc tapped it, but nothing happened.

"Zak, stand up," Doc said. Zak didn't respond, confirming Doc's suspicion that only Argost could control through the parasite.

With a sigh, Doc pulled himself off of the cot and knelt in front of his son. "Zak, can you hear me at all?"

Zak's empty eyes slowly moved to meet Doc's own, but something was happening in them. Doc watched as Zak's eyes slowly seemed to fill with a fierce anger. Suddenly, Zak lunged at Doc and tried to claw at his face.

Doc easily pushed Zak off of him and ran out of the containment area, making sure to shut the door behind him. Zak pounded on the door for a few minutes before giving up. His arms dropped to his sides and he stopped moving entirely.

Something clicked inside of Doc's mind and he left to tell Drew what he had found out. He was confident that Zak would not do anything while he was gone.

Doc entered his bedroom and lightly shook Drew awake. She blinked several times before focusing on him. "What's the matter, honey? Do you want me to watch Zak?"

"No, I don't think it's necessary," Doc said. He then explained, "I think that any unfulfilled order Argost gives Zak remains in Zak's mind since it was never finished. When an opportunity arises for Zak to finish the order, it comes back into his mind full force and he tries to complete it."

"That would explain why he tried to attack me at Cheveyo's base," Drew mused.

"What happened when he attacked you?"

"He looked at me first and then something changed in him. It was like –"

"He was mindless at first and then suddenly became angry?" Doc offered.

"Yes, I guess you could say that."

Doc thought for a moment. "I believe that, unfortunately, the only way to get that parasite off of Zak is to ask Argost how to do it."

"He would never tell us how to get rid of it," Drew said.

"No, but there's probably something in Weird World that would deactivate the parasite."

"Doc, that's like finding a needle in a haystack that's trying to kill you before you can find it."

"It's all we've got right now, hon. I'm confident that Zak won't try anything while we're away from him, so I'm going to get some sleep," Doc said as he began to change for bed. "If we don't get rid of the parasite soon, Argost will find some way to get Zak out. With the two of them, there will be more killings. This isn't a war, it's a slaughter. We'll have to face Argost again tomorrow whether we're ready or not."

* * *

This one's kinda wordy, but things will get interesting in the next chapter. As a warning, things are also about to get really dark, either in the next chapter or the following one. I won't say how dark, but you've been warned! Thanks for reading and remember, reviews are wonderful!

Also, if you want to submit an idea for The Saturday Chronicles, leave a review and tell me your idea! I'll try my best to put it in after The Real War of the Cryptids is finished!


	10. Time is of the Essence

I wanna apologize now if these chapters seem kind of rushed. I'm not trying to create a grand novel or anything. I just want to get my thoughts out on paper, in all honesty.

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Doyle began. "We're going back to Weird World after we were just there yesterday?"

"We have to, Doyle. Weird World's the only place where we'll find a way to get Zak out of Argost's control," Drew said. "Now, I contacted the Secret Scientists and they've said that from what they've seen, Argost has retreated back to Weird World. I'm sure he's planning something, but we need to get there before he heads out."

"Just how are the scientists tracking him?" Doyle asked as he began checking his weapons.

"They're carefully watching for any signs of an unusual energy pulsation," Doc explained. When Doyle gave him a blank look, he said, "They're watching to see if Argost uses his powers. They'll be able to pick the energy up and track him down."

Doyle securely fastened his wrist blaster. "If they can only track him when he uses his powers, he could sneak onto the airship while we're gone and take Zak."

Drew and Doc exchanged glances. "He's right, Doc," Drew said.

"One of us has to stay behind then," Doc nodded.

All three looked at each other, hoping one would volunteer to stay behind to protect Zak. When no one volunteered, Drew spoke up, "Well, I'm going and neither one of you can stop me."

"Yeah, I'm going too," Doyle said.

"Wait just a minute here," Doc protested. "The two of you are too impulsive to go into Weird World together."

Doyle became defensive. "What, I haven't survived it enough times for you or something?"

"Doyle, please," Drew wanted to put a stop to the argument before Doc could begin worrying about what had happened in their first mission to Weird World.

"We'll play for it," Doyle suggested. "Rock-paper-scissors."

"Fine, if that's the only way we can settle this quickly," Doc formed his hand into a fist and Doyle followed suit.

"I'll call it," Drew offered. "Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

Doc had chosen rock while Doyle had managed to best him with paper.

Doyle chuckled and said, "Drew told me how you always pick rock."

"I don't always pick rock!" Doc said.

"Honey, you always pick rock," Drew said, patting him on the shoulder. "We should almost be at Weird World now. Can you land the airship for us?"

* * *

The siblings stopped at the gates of Weird World. "So, how should we get in?" Doyle asked, staring at the mansion.

"Let's go in through the pipe that runs off into the creek," Drew suggested. They made their way down to the pipe. Doyle lifted the grate for Drew so she could climb in. She held it open for Doyle as he boosted himself in with his jetpack.

"This should lead to that creepy cavern room, right?" Doyle asked.

"Right. Once we get in there, we'll figure out where to go."

The walk through the pipe was a long one without the migas to give them a boost. When Drew and Doyle reached the cavern, they were surprised to find it empty.

"Maybe Argost realized taking care of a giant crab cryptid isn't quite in his budget," Doyle said, looking around for any sign of the cryptid.

"Let's get out of here before it comes back from lunch or something," Drew said. She led the way up the steps and out through the secret passage that led to the room where Fisk was previously held captive. "I hope Argost expected us to use the front door."

"Where's Argost's lab?"

"We need to find where we fought the Nagas in. If we can find that, we'll be able to find the chamber that Argost took Zak into," Drew explained.

The two walked out of the cell and into the stone hallway. They walked in silence for quite some time before Doyle asked, "So, do you think he knows we're here yet?"

As if in response, a set of arrows shot out of one side of the wall. Drew and Doyle jumped back, sparing themselves from a gruesome fate. Drew said, "I'm not sure if that was preset or was activated just for us."

The communicator in Doyle's pocket suddenly began beeping. He pulled it out to see a static-filled screen and an unclear image of Miranda.

"What's the matter?" Drew asked.

"It's Miranda, but I can't hear what she's saying," Doyle said. He looked at the screen and spoke, "Miranda, I don't know if you can hear me, but the signal here is really bad. I don't know what you're saying." When he had finished talking, the screen was overcome entirely by static. He slipped the communicator back into his pocket.

"She wouldn't have tried to reach us if something wasn't wrong. Let's hurry and get to Argost's lab before something happens," Drew said.

Drew and Doyle ran through the labyrinth of corridors, but everything looked the same to them. Before too long, Drew suggested that they should try and start blasting at the walls. It would give away their position, but they would be able to find the lab faster.

Doyle destroyed a portion of the wall with his wrist blaster. He cursed under his breath and said, "That's Fisk's cell. We've been going in circles."

The Fire Sword blasted through the opposite wall. "Hey! There's the chamber!" Drew exclaimed. She blasted more of the wall open until her and Doyle could fit through. Once inside, she said, "Time's running out. Just keep shooting until you find something!"

Explosions echoed off each section of stone wall before it was destroyed. The only part of the room that remained remotely stable was the steps. "Drew!" Doyle called from across the room. "There's a hallway over here!"

The two sprinted through the hallway until they came across a locked door. It wasn't a problem for their weapons. If they hadn't been in such a hurry, they would have stopped to admire Argost's vast array of technology. They frantically searched for anything that had to do with the parasite. Countless amounts of damage were done to Argost's precious technology, but Drew and Doyle couldn't care less. Miranda had tried to get in contact with them to let them know about some problem and Zak was still under Argost's control. The time for being careful was over. It wasn't the siblings' strong suit anyways.

Drew noticed a control panel standing in front of the lab's large screen. She began investigating some of the buttons before something popped up on the screen. It read, "Neural Parasite Emergency Override"; it was just what she was looking for. She pressed some more buttons and called out to Doyle, "I think I did it! We'll find out once we get back to the airship!"

In the blink of an eye, the two were out of the lab. They raced back over the path they had taken, crossed through destroyed walls, went back down into the migas's chamber, and took the pipe back outside. Out of breath, the two finally reached the airship.

To their surprise, Cheechoo was standing outside.

"Paul?" Drew called out.

Cheechoo turned to face Drew and Doyle. "You're back!"

Drew asked, "What are you doing here?"

"The other Secret Scientists and I rushed to your airship's location when Doyle said that he couldn't hear what we were saying on the communicator," Paul said.

Something in his tone of voice unsettled Drew. "Why did you try to get a hold of us?"

Paul couldn't meet Drew's eyes. He sighed and said, "We picked up an energy reading on Argost's powers. We came as fast as we could, but he had already begun his attack."

* * *

Oh geez, it's a cliffhanger. Again, I apologize for rushing things. This little story is just to let my creativity flow. Thanks for reading!


	11. Aftermath

I'm not gonna say much here in terms of an introduction!

* * *

Drew and Doyle were dumbfounded. "Argost attacked the airship?" Drew repeated.

"He attacked the people inside it, Drew," Cheechoo said sympathetically.

"Move!" Drew snarled. She pushed Cheechoo out of the way and ran onto the airship.

"Professor," Doyle said. "What happened?"

Cheechoo sighed. "It would be best for you to go inside and find out yourself."

Doyle glared at Cheechoo, but didn't say anything. He followed his sister's path into the airship with a sinking feeling in his heart.

He finally managed to catch up with Drew in the containment area. The door to the cell was wide open and the cot inside had been toppled over. Drew exhaled sharply before taking off again. This time, Doyle followed her to the room where they had communicated with the Secret Scientists via the Saturdays' large screen. There, the Secret Scientists sat around the table. All of them had an air of defeat and all looked grim.

"What happened?" Drew demanded. The scientists all looked at her, but none dared to answer. "I said, WHAT HAPPENED?" her voice was a roar that shook the scientists to their core.

"Drew." The brave scientist that dared to answer was none other than Miranda. She stood up from her seat, revealing her battered and worn form. She sported several tears all over her uniform as well as a painful gash down her cheek.

"DID THAT MONSTER TAKE MY SON?" Drew bellowed.

Miranda seemed to visibly steel herself for what Drew's reaction might be to what news she had. "Zak's here on the ship. Argost tried to take him, but whatever you and Doyle did in Weird World shut down the parasite. Your son's fine, Drew. The parasite's mind control has just left him exhausted, that's all."

"What, did Argost escape them? I figured he –"

"Yes, Argost escaped." Beeman said from his seat. "We weren't expecting to stop him here, you know."

Drew nodded. "I didn't think today would be the end of the war."

Doyle was just as puzzled as Drew was. "So why does everyone look like someone d –"

An eerie hush fell over the room. With a small cry, Drew ran out and Doyle followed her. They ran down several metal corridors before reaching the medical room. Drew furiously pressed the button to open the door and ran inside when it finally did open.

Doyle stepped inside after her, but he stayed back by the door as it closed. He had a sick feeling in his gut that he knew what had happened and he didn't want to be there when Drew confirmed the suspicion.

Drew spotted him lying in one of the room's beds. She slowed her run to a pained walk and approached cautiously. She searched for any sign of movement, anything that would prove to her that he was still alive. The seconds dragged on and she began to fear that the scientists were right. However, she noticed that his chest was, in fact, moving up and down, if only faintly.

"Oh, Doc," Drew whispered. She took her place at the side of his bed and lifted his hand gingerly. She traced several wounds with her free hand and sighed. "What did Argost do to you, Doc?"

"Drew!" Doyle called from the entrance. "Is he alright?"

"He's badly injured. I don't know what could have done this to him," Drew responded, the worry evident in her voice.

Doyle joined his sister at Doc's bedside. His eyes widened as he took in the extent of Doc's injuries. "Those wounds look like claw scratches."

A horrible thought raced through Drew's mind, but she brushed it away. "I'm going to check on Zak," she said quickly. "He's not in here, so he must be in his bedroom."

When Drew reached Zak's room, she knocked softly, but didn't expect any response. She was surprised when Zak responded, "Come in." She rushed into his room and threw her arms around Zak without giving him a chance to sit up. "Hi, Mom," Zak grinned.

"How are you doing, Zak?" Drew asked as she pulled away from the hug.

"Alright. I'm just exhausted, that's all," Zak yawned.

At that moment, Doyle stepped into the room. "Hey, mini-man. I'm glad to see you're okay."

"Uncle Doyle!" Zak exclaimed happily. Doyle walked to the bed and gave Zak a hug. "What happened? The last thing I remember is being with Argost in his lab. Is the war over? Is Argost gone?"

"No, honey," Drew smiled sadly. "Argost used a parasite to control you for almost an entire day."

"A parasite?" Zak repeated.

"Yeah. This one could only be removed in Argost's lab. So that's what your mother and I did," Doyle shrugged.

"Thanks, you guys!" Zak grinned. "Where's Dad at?"

Drew and Doyle exchanged a quick glance before Doyle answered, "He's sleeping right now. He'll come in to see you later, okay?"

"For now, why don't you get some sleep?" Drew added.

"You don't have to ask me twice," Zak said as he rolled onto his side. "Do you think you could get Fisk for me before I go to sleep? I bet he's worried."

"No problem, sweetie," Drew said as she rustled Zak's hair. She and Doyle left Zak to his peaceful slumber.

The rest of the day passed slowly. The Secret Scientists had been allowed to stay on the airship for the night because none of them thought they would make the trip back to their bases without collapsing from exhaustion. Dinner was relatively uneventful aside from strained small talk.

Afterwards, Miranda explained to Drew and Doyle exactly what had happened while the two siblings were in Weird World. She told them how there had been a spike in energy readings near Weird World, but not quite inside it. Miranda had tried to get a hold of Doyle, but there had been no signal inside Weird World. The scientists figured that the airship was in that area, and had come as fast as they could. When they arrived, Doc was single-handedly facing off against not only Argost, but a freed Zak and a handful of cryptids as well. The scientists joined in the fight. Things had looked bleak for them until Zak had unexpectedly been freed from Argost's control. When the parasite was stopped, Argost left along with his cryptids.

The scientists had sustained fairly minor injuries, but Doc hadn't been so lucky. He had been reluctant to use any powerful physical force to defend against his son. That reluctance left him wide open for attacks. The wounds had pointed out were indeed caused by a claw: the Hand of Tsul'Kalu.

While the scientists and Doyle worked on repairing what they could, Drew excused herself to go see Doc. She didn't want to think about how bad the injuries looked or how reluctant the scientists were to tell her what had happened. Instead, she would use this time simply to be with her husband.

Once inside the medical room, she pushed a bed closer to Doc's so that she could sit next to him. She took his hand like she had before and said, "Hi, honey. I don't know if you know, but Zak doesn't have that parasite on him anymore."

To her surprise, he answered weakly, "That's great news."

Her jaw dropped open as if she was going to say something, but she closed it. She took a breath and attempted a joke, "Good morning." Doc gave a small smile and she asked, "How do you feel?"

"As good as I look," Doc responded. "Is everyone else alright?"

Drew couldn't help but tear up. Doc was gravely injured and surely in great pain and yet all he could think about was the safety of the others. She tried to answer, but couldn't find her voice. Instead, she nodded.

"Good. Will you stay with me for the night?" Doc asked.

"Of course," Drew whispered. She put his hand down and began to run her fingers over his hair.

"I don't know if I'm going to get out of this one, Drew," Doc said as he closed his eyes. Drew hoped that she only imagined his voice to be weaker.

"Of course you will," Drew rushed to answer. She watched Doc slowly drift off to sleep. Soon enough, she felt herself begin to fall under the weight of exhaustion.

She suddenly woke up with a start. She couldn't be sure how long she had fallen asleep.

"Ah, you heard me."

Drew's insides iced over. Doc's voice was barely above a whisper now and his breathing was slow and labored. "What's the matter, honey?" she said softly, lifting his hand once more.

"Please, don't blame Zak for this. He didn't know what he was doing." Drew felt tears run down her face. She began to speak, but Doc stopped her. "I love you and I'm sorry."

A wave of panic rushed over Drew. "No, Doc! Doc, you'll be alright! You just need some rest, that's all!"

Doc gave her a weak smile. "Be a little more careful for me, okay?"

"Doc!" Drew's panicked cries had grown to shouts. "Doc, you can't go! Please, hang in there!" She watched in horror as Doc closed his eyes. His hand went limp in hers. "I love you too," she whispered. She sat in silence for a few moments, allowing the truth to sink in. Quite suddenly, she let out a deafening wail of despair and collapsed onto Doc as she shook with sobs.

* * *

Oh my word, that was painful to write. What can I say after that? I guess just thanks for reading.


	12. Resolve

Guys, I'm so sorry about how late this is. I've been busy since Thursday, but I'm hoping that I can have the next chapter out tomorrow!

* * *

The Secret Scientists and Doyle had just finished up the last of their repairs for the night when they heard Drew's piercing cry. Doyle was the first to be on the move. He dropped his tools right where he was and made a mad dash for the medical room. The doors opened and he spotted Drew. He heard her heart-wrenching sobs and immediately understood.

"Drew?" he called out quietly. She didn't even acknowledge that she heard him. He made his way over to her and looked down at Doc. Doyle could have mistakenly assumed that the man was sleeping, but his sister's distressed cries told him otherwise. He sat down on the bed next to Drew and wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face into his chest and cried all the harder.

The door opened and the Secret Scientists filed in. One by one, each took in the situation and each fell into grief. They had lost one of their own. Miranda started crying in spite of herself. Beeman put his arm around her shoulder. Cheechoo looked like he was on the verge of tears. The only one who didn't show emotion was Epsilon, but no one knew how he really felt.

"Come on, Drew, let's get out of here," Doyle mumbled. He helped Drew to her feet and led her past the scientists and out of the room. She leaned on him heavily, making it slightly difficult for him to walk. He stumbled down the corridors of the airship unsure of where to go.

The two had managed to reach the containment area, but Doyle tripped and lost his grip on Drew. She fell to the ground, but didn't find any reason to get back up. Instead, she brought her legs underneath her and buried her face in her hands.

With a sigh, Doyle sat cross-legged on the floor next to her. He watched her for a few moments as she softly cried into her hands. "Drew," he whispered as he brought a hand to her shoulder.

Her eyes met his at last and he caught a glimpse of her pain. He thought he felt tears well up in his own eyes, but would never admit it. He had a deep-rooted fear that if he didn't say something, Drew would lose herself in sorrow and no one would be able to stop whatever Argost had planned.

"Drew," he began, "I can't imagine the kind of pain you must be in right now." She let out a sob and would've hidden her face again if Doyle didn't stop her. "You need to be strong right now. Not for yourself, but for the Secret Scientists, for me, for Doc, and for Zak."

Finally, Doyle saw something register in Drew's eyes. She dropped her hands to her sides and tried to hear him out.

"Argost is still out there and he's going to make one last stand. If we don't do anything, he'll gain control of the entire world and turn the entire human population into his own personal monkeys. I know the Secret Scientists will put up a fight and Zak will too. I'm ready to fight, too, but we have no chance of winning without you."

"Doyle…" Drew murmured.

He thought he was making some progress, so he kept it up. "I know that it's too soon right now for you to even think about what to do next, but Drew, you need to hold off on mourning. If you don't, we'll never bring down Argost."

Drew let out a slow breath. All of the agony inside her begged to be released, but she pushed it as far back in her mind as she could. She knew she would have to deal with it again, but for now, she knew Doyle was right. She couldn't let it interfere when the entire world was in danger. "Alright," she said softly. "I'm ready to save the human race."

Doyle grinned, stood up, and helped Drew up. "That's my sis," he said.

"We should check on Zak. He needs to know what happened," Drew said. "Don't tell him that he was the one that –"

"I won't," Doyle promised.

The siblings walked to Zak's bedroom. Drew rapped on the door lightly before opening it herself. Sometime between now and the last time she was in here, Fisk had found his way into the bedroom and had fallen asleep on the floor.

"Oh, Doyle, how are we going to tell him?" Drew whispered. She sat down on the bed next to her sleeping son and ran her fingers through his hair.

Zak's eyes opened and he stared up at his mom. "Hey," he said. "How long have I been sleeping?"

When Drew didn't answer, Doyle replied, "Not long at all, mini-man."

"Did Dad ever come in and see me? I don't remember if he did," Zak said as he lifted himself into a sitting position.

Drew opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't. She looked to Doyle for help. He understood and took a deep breath. "Zak, you know how you were being controlled by Argost?" Zak nodded and Doyle continued, "Well, he attacked the airship in an attempt to break you out. He really injured your dad in the fight. He didn't make it, mini-man."

Zak stared at his uncle and for several long seconds. He then looked at Drew for confirmation. She looked away, hoping he didn't notice that she was crying. He suddenly threw his blankets off, slid off the bed, and ran out of the room.

Drew and Doyle ran out of the room and followed Zak to the medical room. The Secret Scientists had left, but the siblings didn't care to know where they had gone. Zak made it to Doc's side and began desperately pleading with his father to wake up. Once he realized that Doc wouldn't wake, he ran back to Drew. She hugged him tightly as he cried onto her shoulder.

"It's okay, baby boy. Mommy's here," Drew said, as she rustled Zak's hair. She wanted to tell him everything was going to be alright, but she couldn't bring herself to say it when she didn't know that it would be.

"Mom," Zak said after a few minutes.

Drew stepped back knelt down in front of him. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

Zak shook his head. "We need to stop Argost before he kills anyone else. We need to stop him now!"

* * *

I hope I've done feelings of grief justice. I know it's certainly not easy just to push them aside, but I think that the situation the Saturdays are in calls for them to do just that. Thank you all for reading. I'll continue writing one-shots for The Saturday Chronicles once this story's over, and I'm looking for ideas. If you're interested, just leave your idea for a one-shot in a review! I'll try to write it once I finish up The Real War of the Cryptids.

As a quick note, I'd like to say rest in peace to actress Celeste Holm. My prayers and heart go out to her family.


	13. The Final Lesson

Part 9 of 10 is here for your reading pleasure!

* * *

All of the preparations had been made. Argost's location was pinned to New York City. All of those fighting were well equipped for whatever the battle ahead would bring. They were ready to end this war once and for all.

Zak and Drew remained rather quiet throughout all of the preparations. They didn't have much to say, after all. The others threw them worried glances every now and then, but the son and mother team had full intentions to stop Argost.

The airship ride to New York was uneventful. No one said much of anything, but everyone could feel the growing sense of anxiety and adrenaline. There was no way of telling just how many cryptids Argost had on his side. For all anyone knew, he could have gathered every cryptid in the United States and then some. Preparations could take the scientists only so far. Nothing could fully ready them for whatever was to come.

The airship began its descent into New York. All forced chatter stopped and the airship finally touched ground. Almost immediately after landing, a huge force outside smashed into the airship, sending its occupants to the floor. "Argost already knows we're here! Everybody out!" Doyle shouted.

Someone lowered the airship's bridge and everyone inside rushed out of it before it was knocked to its side by the Allegwi. "Alright everyone!" Doyle shouted over the chaos. "Split into groups and find Argost!" The Secret Scientists split off into groups of twos and threes while Doyle stayed behind with Drew, Zak, and the Saturday cryptids. "Any ideas how we can find him?" Doyle asked.

When he looked at Drew and Zak, he was shocked to realize that neither of them seemed ready to fight. Drew hadn't bothered to unsheathe her sword and Zak held his claw at his side. "What are you doing?" Doyle nearly yelled.

Drew and Zak almost seemed to snap out of a trance. Their battle instincts kicked in to an extent and they both started to analyze the situation. Drew spoke first, "Argost won't be in the thick of this battle. He's hiding out somewhere where he can safely control the cryptids without putting himself in any danger."

"Look!" Zak pointed up to the sky. Argost's warship hovered above, patrolling the city. "He has to be up there!"

Drew spotted Cheechoo fighting a cryptid a couple yards away. She called for him, but he couldn't escape his battle. Instead, she instructed him to tell the other scientists to keep the cryptids busy.

Doyle and Zon flew Zak, Drew, Fisk, and Komodo up to the warship in several trips. To their surprise, they weren't met with immediate opposition upon their arrival. "Argost must be inside," Doyle said. The family navigated the hull of the warship without finding a way to enter. "Well, we're not getting in unless we blast an entrance open," Doyle readied his wrist blaster to tear open an entrance.

"Wait, something's opening over there!" Drew exclaimed. A small opening gradually grew bigger until a person could fit through it. "He definitely knows we're here," Drew said.

"What else can we do but go in?" Zak asked as he approached the entrance. "Is he inviting us to fight him or something?"

"Who knows, mini-man?" Doyle took the lead and entered the warship first and the rest followed behind him. The entrance closed behind them and they found themselves in a dimly lit corridor. "I don't like this," Doyle said under his breath.

"You have every reason not to, Mr. Blackwell."

Argost stepped forward into the poor light. "It was simply too easy to find me, wasn't it? I decided that it would be much easier to kill you all right away then to let you corner me in some simple hiding spot." He looked at each Doyle, Drew, and Zak. "I'm surprised you haven't attempted to attack me yet. Is the grief of losing Mr. Saturday still too fresh in your hearts?"

That was all Drew and Zak needed to switch to attack mode. Their grief transformed into anger as they sought revenge on a husband and a father. Drew shot a fireball at Argost who easily dodged it while Zak fired his claw at Argost's unmasked face. The yeti easily knocked the claw aside and clucked his tongue. "Now, now, just when I thought we were on civil terms at last. Oh Munya, will you come aide me in my battle?"

A loud roar bounced off of the walls of the narrow corridor. Munya stomped down the corridor from the opposite end and Doyle found himself locked in hand to hand combat with the half-cryptid. Zon and Komodo joined him in his struggle while Drew, Zak, and Fisk moved forward to attack Argost.

"Ah, I'm only interested in the young Kurling, you know," Argost hissed. Zak ran ahead of Drew and Fisk. He heard a thud behind him and turned to see a thick layer of glass separating him and Argost from everyone else. Argost sneered at Zak and said, "How has your final lesson been affecting you, dear boy?"

Zak gasped. "Final lesson? What are you talking about Argost? I told you I didn't want to learn anything else from you!"

"Foolish child, I have been teaching you so you may one day join my side to rule over the despicable human race."

"What would make you think that I would ever join the likes of you?"

"Hm, Munya looks like he could use some help from your friends," Argost chuckled. Zak turned and saw that Fisk, Komodo, and Zon's eyes were glowing green. Drew and Doyle were outnumbered two to one and there was nothing he could do to help them.

"What's this final lesson you taught me, Argost?" Zak growled, feeling his anger rising.

Argost shook his head. "To think that you didn't realize what I've taught you. In order to destroy those unworthy to bow to us, you must be willing to eliminate your closest allies."

"I would never betray my family or friends!"

"Really now, boy? Just who do you think killed your father?" Zak stared at Argost, at a complete loss for words. "Those injuries he received certainly weren't from me! Don't you think they looked like they had been dealt by a claw?"

"You're lying!" Zak yelled. "You killed my dad!"

"Indirectly, I suppose you could say that. However, I myself did not cause any physical harm to your father. I had you under my control, but you did everything yourself."

Zak was angrier than he had ever been before. When he looked at Argost, he only saw red. Everything in his being screamed for him to kill the monster standing in front of him.

"You've learned your final lesson, young Kur. You've finally learned to kill," Argost cackled. The anger inside Zak grew until his mind called for revenge. "I know how angry you must be, but you must keep in mind that you can't defeat me. It would be in your best interest as well as mine if you would join my side."

"You expect me to just team up with you after all that you've done?" Zak ignored the tremble in his voice. "How many people have you killed Argost? Zak Monday, Van Rook, and Dad died because of you. How many people did you force cryptids to kill since you got Zak Monday's powers?"

The glass behind Zak shattered just as he finished talking. Doyle and Drew had managed to finally cause enough damage to it to destroy it. "I think it's about time someone stopped you once and for all."

Doyle and Drew fired multiple attacks at Argost. He retreated into the safety of the cockpit, but with Munya defeated, he was on his own. The family followed him inside and cornered him at the warship's controls. Doyle and Drew fired their weapons at Argost again, causing the warship's windshield to shatter. Fisk and Zon kept Argost from moving anywhere else and Komodo tripped him so that he fell backwards onto the controls. Fisk roared and pushed Argost out of the broken windshield, but Argost managed to grab onto the edge.

Zak walked forward until he was directly in front of Argost. "Dear boy," the yeti pleaded. "Don't let me fall!"

Zak sneered. "Why shouldn't I?"

"If I haven't changed your mind about joining me, then you surely must know that killing is wrong!" Argost said frantically, his grip weakening.

"I'll let myself be like you just once," Zak growled. He smashed Argost's hands with his claw and watched with grim satisfaction as the cryptid fell to the cold, hard pavement below.

* * *

That was satisfying to write, although I did feel a little evil. It's hard to imagine the kind of anger Zak would have felt in this. So, you all have one more chapter of The Real Cryptid War to look forward to! I feel that the name doesn't really fit this story, but that's too bad. I'll start up with one-shots for The Saturday Chronicles once this is finished, so if you have an idea for one, let me know any time! Thanks for reading and _au revoir_!


	14. Carry On

Here it is, everyone! Here's the final chapter of The Real War of the Cryptids!

* * *

The world's nightmare was over. V.V. Argost was dead and all of the cryptids were in the process of being moved back to their native lands. His death was ruled an accident by the local authorities. World news led viewers to believe that Argost was not a seemingly harmless TV star, but that he had ulterior motives to make "monsters" to perform a massive terrorist attack on the entire world. It was a vague story, but the Secret Scientists were relieved because their job of hiding the existence of cryptids was made easier.

News reporters had rushed to interview everyone who had fought that day. The Secret Scientists as well as Zak had claimed to be mere citizens who were simply trying to do what was right. Doyle, on the other hand, had gladly followed Drew's suggestion to take the credit for Argost's death. He was thrilled to be in the spotlight, even though it was just for a little while.

Plans were made for Doc's funeral. Doyle took it upon himself to do most of the work as he knew that Drew had still needed to find the time to grieve.

The day of the funeral turned out to be a gray day. The dark clouds lazily drifted across the sky, occasionally allowing the sun a chance to check on the world below. All of the Secret Scientists showed up as well as many people that the Saturdays had met on their missions. Wadi and most of her village showed up as did Ulraj and many from Kumari Kandam. Many more were there, such as some of the villagers the Saturdays saved from the Owl Man, the men that were working in the woods the Allegwi inhabited, and so many more.

Zak and Drew remained mostly quiet all day. Even the Saturday cryptids were taking the loss rather hard. Towards the end of the service, Zak placed a single rose on the coffin. Doyle almost cried himself as he watched the heartbroken boy walk back and take his place next to his mother. Beeman presented Drew with Doc's Battle Glove, a weapon Doc had been given when he became a Secret Scientist. Drew accepted it with trembling hands and walked back next to Zak, clutching it against her chest.

After the service, Drew, Zak, and Doyle left with the cryptids via the airship. They could finally return home. Doyle immediately went to his on-again-off-again bedroom to catch up on his sleep. Drew sat down on the couch in the living room with a photo album and flipped through it. Zak wondered aimlessly throughout the house, unsure of what to do with himself. He realized that things would be slow going for a while as the Secret Scientists were sure to take pity on the Saturdays and not give them any missions.

As Zak passed through the living room, he noticed his mother had fallen asleep on the couch with the photo album still open at her side. She held the Battle Glove in one hand on her other side. Zak sighed and left the room. He eventually found himself in the training room where Fisk met with him.

Fisk asked Zak if he was okay and Zak answered, "I'm not sure. I guess I will be eventually, but for now, I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Mom's not going to be okay for a while, that's for sure." Fisk listened closely, with a concerned look on his face. Zak continued, "I think what I have to do right now is continue Dad's work for him, whenever we're ready, of course. Those cryptids that Argost disturbed aren't all going to find their way home."

Fisk looked at his little brother worriedly, but joined Zak as he roamed the house for a little longer before deciding to go to bed. After all, Zak's life would go by even when it felt like it was over.

* * *

So ends this short, depressing story. I want to thank you all for reading, reviewing, favoriting, following, whatever else you want to call it. That concludes this short story for The Saturday Chronicles. I'll be picking up with one-shots and drabbles, so submit any ideas you may have for me. I like a good challenge!


	15. Trapped

It feels good to be writing one-shots again, even if I hadn't written that many before The Real War of the Cryptids. The idea for this story was suggested by Wolf Queen! I hope I've done it justice!

* * *

"Ha! I passed you up, Fisk!" Zak cheered. His hovercraft zoomed past Fisk's on the television screen as the video game race neared its end. Fisk growled in protest and he smashed the controls furiously in an attempt to catch up to Zak. The race was soon neck and neck and the victory was either boy's game.

Just when it seemed the race would call for a photo finish, Zak and Fisk were forcibly pulled off the couch. Their bodies were lifted into the air and out of their world. The world suddenly transformed into a pitch black region where it seemed nothing existed at all. Finally, the brothers landed on a cold stone ground.

A chilling maniacal laugh echoed against the stone walls. Zak looked up and his eyes met those of his evil doppelganger, Zak Monday, and the cold eyes of Fisk's counterpart. "Well, well," the Zak Monday sneered. "It looks like our smoke mirror actually does the same thing as yours!"

Zak jumped to his feet and grabbed his claw, but Zak Monday just laughed again. "You think you can beat me? Think again, freak!" he grabbed his fang and the two Saturdays clashed. Fisk tried to step into the fight, but Fisk Monday lunged forward and the two became locked in a battle of their own.

Around the two pairs of doubles, the world itself seemed to be tearing itself apart. Stones in the walls would shoot out only to return to their positions. The moving stones revealed the sky as a dark orange with black clouds. The floor began to melt around the edges.

Eventually, the two Zaks reached a melted part of the floor and they fell through only to come out of the ceiling of the room they were just in. The strange happenings didn't bother either boy and their battle raged on.

The Fisks somehow managed to break a hole into one of the walls. Their fight moved outside of the stone room and out of sight of the Zaks.

Zak dodged a swipe from the Fang and he growled, "What do you think you're doing this time?"

"I will get into your world and you'll be stuck here forever!" Zak Monday tried to attack again, but Zak hit him across the chest with the claw. He fell onto the floor and said, "No matter how hard you try, I'll win and leave you here! Everyone will hate you and you'll have no way out of this constant misery!"

"It doesn't look like you'll be able to do that, now does it?" Zak taunted. He held his claw over Zak Monday's face, but the evil Zak kicked off the ground and managed to land a hit on him.

"I found the smoke mirror myself! I didn't need that stupid Komodo Dragon to help me! I planned all of this on my own! I just need that brainless Fiskerton Phantom to do all of my heavy lifting!" Zak Monday boasted as he struck Zak's side.

Zak started to fall, but managed to roll back onto his feet. "I don't care how smart you think you are! You can't just take me out of my home so you can be a big baby and run away from the troubles you've created!"

"Baby?" Zak Monday roared. "I've destroyed entire towns on my own, thank you! It's just getting kinda hard to have any fun when the police track your every move!"

"I won't let you ruin my reputation or my family's! You're not getting into my dimension!"

"You really are stupid, aren't you?"

The walls shook as the Fisks broke through and rolled into the room, wrestling. "Fisk!" Zak Monday called out. Fisk Monday glanced up and Zak Monday shouted, "You know what to do!"

The evil Zak suddenly turned from his battle and ran straight for the mirror. "See you later, Zak! I hope you have fun with the cops!" He grabbed the mirror and held it in front of his face. There was a flash of light and the mirror began transferring Zak Monday to the other dimension.

"No, stop him!" Zak Saturday yelled. He ran at Zak Monday, but Fisk Monday broke away from his fight and stepped in his way. The bad Fisk struck Zak in the chest with the palm of his hand, sending the boy straight to the floor.

Fisk Saturday roared and charged at Zak Monday. He was just about to knock into the boy when the mirror gave off a blinding flash of light. Zak shielded his eyes, but could still see the intensity of the light through his eyelids. A sickening crash resounded off the walls of the chamber. Zak's eyes snapped open. To his horror, the mirror had fallen to the ground and shattered into many fragments. Zak Monday and Fisk Saturday were nowhere in sight. With both mirrors gone, he was trapped in this twisted dimension forever.

* * *

Blah, that was confusing to write with pronouns and whatnot. So what do you guys think? I would love to find out! If you want, leave me an idea and I'll try my best to write it! Thanks for reading!


	16. Humility and Arrogance

Welcome everyone! This is a continuation of the last chapter, Trapped. Read that before this one if you haven't already!

* * *

Zak stared at the shattered mirror. He felt that getting back to his own dimension would now be hopeless since both mirrors were now destroyed. He was lost in thought until Fisk Monday suddenly tackled him and pinned him to the ground. The boy and the cryptid stared off at each other until Zak managed to grasp his claw. He swung it up and made a direct hit with the cryptid's face. Fisk Monday rolled to the side, howling. Zak took the chance to get up and run out of the stone room by way of one of the holes the two Fiskerton Phantoms had made earlier.

With Zak Monday gone, the world was right again, but it really wasn't right, not for Zak at least. Snow fell lightly to the ground, forming a thin cover over the grass. Zak glanced quickly behind him to discover that he had actually been teleported to a temple of some sort. He didn't have much time to investigate as Fisk Monday was now chasing him.

At first, Zak thought that he had no idea where to go. However, he soon realized that this world, although opposite of his own, was similar in the respect that locations were the same. Zak guessed that he was somewhere in South America, which was where his family had found the other dimension's smoke mirror. It was nice to know his general location, but Zak had to admit that that didn't help him at all.

After running for several long minutes, Zak lost Fisk in the jungle surrounding the temple. He continued running though until his legs ached and he could barely breathe. He fell onto the ground, waited for his heart to slow down, and eventually drifted off to sleep amidst the wild cries in the jungle.

* * *

Zak Monday materialized in the opposite dimension amidst a bright flash of light. He found himself sitting on the Saturdays' couch in their living room. With an evil laugh, he stood up and began his search for chaos.

The boy wondered around the house before finding the Saturdays' communication room. He decided it would be a fun place to start destroying things, so he began swinging his fang around, damaging or even destroying much of the expensive equipment.

The noise of the destruction carried through the house and Drew's ears picked up on it. She followed the source to stop in her tracks at the sight of Zak Monday. "Doc!" she shouted before running into the room. In seconds, Doc ran into the room as well.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my idiotic other self's parents. It's a shame your son won't find out that I killed you two. He's stuck in my dimension and won't be back, after all," Zak Monday laughed as he turned his sights on Doc and Drew.

Drew shouted in anger and aimed a blast from her Fire Sword at Zak Monday who barely managed to dodge it. "Drew!" Doc called. "Be careful! We need him alive if we want to get our Zak back!"

Zak Monday cackled. "You talk as if you have a prayer of stopping me!"

"You're a twelve-year-old boy and I have almost thirty years of experience in martial arts. I think my prayers are more than answered," Drew shot back. She sent a well-aimed blast at Zak Monday, knocking him off his feet. He didn't attempt to get back up.

"You just knocked him out, right?" Doc asked.

"I listen when I want to, Doc," Drew said. She and Doc approached the fallen boy to find that he was unconscious. "That was a lot easier than I thought it would be."

"No," Doc began. "The hard part will be getting the mirror. It's on display in the Louvre in Paris."

"What, did someone find it in South America and manage to reconstruct it?" Drew asked skeptically.

"That's what the news reports said when the fragments of it were discovered."

"I've always wanted to see how I would do as a thief," Drew grinned.

"I don't think the other Secret Scientists would approve, dear. I think we should bring Doyle in to get the mirror."

Drew protested, "But my baby boy's trapped in that awful other dimension!"

"Doyle cares for him, too. He'll do everything he can to bring Zak back."

* * *

In the other dimension, Zak hadn't managed to find a water source. He would soon have to turn in for the night, but he was afraid how his body would respond to the lack of water when he woke in the morning. He began gathering large branches and leaves to build a shelter and silently prayed that he would be able to find water tomorrow.

* * *

I admittedly wasn't going to write a continuation of the last chapter and just leave it as a one-shot, but Thetimewalker2237 told me not to leave you all hanging! So say thank you! I will get to Time Walker's other idea as well as DarkDrago's once this short little story is finished. Thank you all for reading and don't forget to review! Leave an idea if you have one!


	17. Reversal

I meant to have this one up sooner, but I was on a little vacation! Sorry about that. Anyways, here you go! If you have not read the previous two chapters, I strongly suggest doing that before you read this one.

In answer to a reviewer, Doc is alive again because this story takes place as if The Real War of the Cryptids never happened.

* * *

With a groan, Doyle moved out of his hiding spot behind the statue in the Louvre. He had gone into the museum as a guest, but had found a spot to stay in until it closed. There were a couple of close calls when he thought that a guard would find him, but he had managed to stay hidden.

Doyle had actually listened to Doc's instructions for this mission and had no trouble finding the smoke mirror. After all, this was a mission for Zak.

The mirror, Doc had said, was under less security than the more famous art in the museum, but it still had the Louvre's standard level. Doyle had told him and a worried Drew not to fret; he would get the mirror out of the museum no matter what happened.

The mission was going well so far. Doyle easily navigated through the museum, spotting any infrared lasers with a special pair of binoculars that were designed to reveal them. In minutes, Doyle reached the mirror and carefully lifted it off of the wall. He wrapped the mirror in a soft cloth and placed it in his backpack. With the mirror safely secured, he stepped carefully over to a window and started to open it. He just thought that things had been too easy when the deafening blare of an alarm filled the quiet Louvre.

Glancing down, Doyle saw that his foot had tripped a stray laser. Cursing under his breath, Doyle he turned away from the window and ran back towards his hiding spot, careless of whether he tripped more lasers.

"Hey! Stop!" a voice shouted.

Doyle didn't respond to the voice, but he heard footsteps thundering down the hall after him, mixing with the alarm's wail. He made several turns in an attempt to shake the guards, but instead of losing them, more joined in the chase.

The hunt continued past several of the Louvre's finest works. Doyle felt a small smile creep on his lips as he realized that he really didn't care to admire the art anyways. It just wasn't his thing. The guards were easy enough to elude, but they definitely were persistent. He made yet another turn only to find himself face to face with a wall. He turned around to run back the way he came, but the guards had caught up to him.

A guard stepped forward and spoke with a thick French accent, "Just what do you think you are doing?"

Another guard joined the group and said, "The mirror is gone! He must have taken it!"

The guards all looked at Doyle, anger flaring in their eyes. Yet another spoke up, "Give it up now and we will not use force."

"Sorry, guys," Doyle said. "It's a great piece of 'art' and all, but I need to use this." He threw a handful of small blasters at the guards, scattering them. He ran through the opening he had created. The guards recovered their senses, but were farther behind than they had been before.

Doyle finally managed to find the entrance. He threw a few more blasters at the doors. The glass shattered and he ran out of the entry he had created.

* * *

Zak's eyes fluttered open and he took in his surroundings. He must have collapsed from exhaustion and fallen into a deep sleep during the night. His throat was dry and his muscles ached as they lifted him off the ground.

Zak Monday had been so keen to send Zak into the other dimension to be destroyed by those that hated the Monday family, but Zak thought that he would die out here in the jungle before anyone found him. He willed himself to walk forward, hoping to find some source of water, even if it was just leftover rainwater collected in leaves.

There was also the matter of finding food, but Zak knew he wouldn't have to worry about that if he didn't find any water soon. He licked his dry lips and pressed forward, moving leaves and branches out of his way.

The heat was almost unbearable. It felt like a weight on Zak's shoulders, a weight that hindered his progress. He wondered if he would stop sweating when his body ran out of water.

Suddenly, the ground rushed up at him as he tripped over a tree root. The sounds of the jungle seemed magnified now and he grimly wondered if he some wild beast would kill him before dehydration did. A dim light of hope reached him as he realized a nearby village might find him and rescue him. It was a long shot, but at least it slightly eased his feeling of dread as he slipped off again into darkness.

* * *

When Zak woke once more, he first noticed how soft the ground had gotten beneath him. Had it rained while he was out? He sat up and realized that he had woken up on his back instead of on his front. A blanket slid off of his chest. He didn't remember finding a blanket in the jungle.

"Baby boy!"

Zak's eyes widened at the familiar voice. He looked to his left and saw his mother sitting at his side. "Mom?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

Drew embraced her son and held him tightly. "I was so worried," she whispered.

"It's a good thing Doyle got the mirror when he did. If we had waited any longer, who knows what would have happened to you."

Zak looked over his mom's shoulder and saw his father sitting next to her. "I'm back? What happened to Zak Monday?"

"He's back in his own dimension where he belongs. The smoke mirror's back at the Louvre, but it's under lock and key. If any of the Mondays try to escape their own dimension again, they'll find themselves trapped in a very small glass case," Doc grinned. Drew finally let go of Zak so Doc could hug him.

"I'm sure they'll think of something, though," Zak said grimly. "If they can survive the dimension they live in, they'll definitely find another way to make our lives miserable."

* * *

This ends the little three-parter story. I won't add this as a separate fanfic because I originally meant for it to just be one chapter. Time to write some more ideas from you lovely reviewers! If you have one you want me to write about, just let me know! Thanks for reading!


	18. Allegiance

The idea for this one-shot was suggest by Thetimewalker2237! I admit, I am rather proud of it, even if I don't like writing in first-person too much.

* * *

So Zak is Kur. I must say, it is definitely a surprise to me as well as Fisk and Zon. This whole time, the three of us have been helping the Saturday family stop Argost from unleashing the horrors of Kur on this world. The three of us cryptids never imagined that Kur was the boy we had been protecting.

Fisk took the news the worst out of us. He's conflicted, and I certainly can see why. The guy's purpose is to help some ultimate evil being, and that being turns out to be our brother. It's definitely not a situation I would want to find myself in.

I can't really tell how Zon is taking everything. That brainless girl doesn't even know what's going on half the time. I like to believe that she at least understands the upset our family's facing. She's isn't clueless enough to miss something like that.

How am I taking it? I honestly don't know. I feel that I should be more surprised and worried than I am. Now that we know Zak has the power to wage war on all of humankind, I almost feel as if I should've known that all along. Those powers of his definitely hinted at something bigger than simply controlling cryptids like me.

I do know one thing for sure, though. As much as I would love to have power over all of humanity, I've learned that it isn't worth destroying human lives. I admit that I once would've jumped on the opportunity to kill the entire human population.

I felt that way when I was being experimented on. Before I was part of the Saturday family, I was an ordinary Komodo dragon. Cruel humans injected cryptid DNA into me, transforming me into a cryptid-hybrid, similar to Argost's henchman, Munya. I hated humans for what they had made me. My own species turned their backs on me, knowing full well that I was different from them. Humans were the bane of my existence. I was miserable, wishing that humans had never lived on this planet.

By some stroke of luck, Drew, Doc, and Zak stumbled upon me while they were looking for some cryptid. I hated them and wanted nothing more than to hide. Zak took a special interest in me, though, noticing I was separated from my kind. I turned invisible, hoping the brat would leave me alone. He managed to find me by tripping over me. The Saturdays realized I was one of their precious cryptids and Zak begged to take me on as a pet.

At first, I hated my family. I was forcibly taken from my home, if I could still call it that, and taken in as a pet. However, I gradually started to realize that I was not just a pet. Zak treated me as much of a human as he could. He cared for me and called me his brother.

During one of the family's missions, I almost got crushed by a large cryptid they were trying to steer back into hiding. Although I don't remember too many details, I do know that Doc saved my life from the rampaging cryptid. From then on, I started to believe that not all humans were horrible.

Through living with the Saturdays, that belief has grown on me. They took me as one of their own at a time when I hated everything but myself. For that, I am forever in their debt. I am more than willing to stay by the Saturdays' side in this dark, confusing time. Not even food will sway my loyalty now. I'll stand by them not as a cryptid pet, but as an ally.

* * *

Although this is the shortest chapter in The Saturday Chronicles, it was one of my favorites to write. Keep sending in ideas if you'd like. It may take a little bit, but I'll try my best to get to them!

I'm gonna step out of the Secret Saturdays for a moment and freak out because I saw the band Heart in concert! If you don't know who they are, I strongly suggest checking them out if you're into rock music. They're amazing and one of my favorite bands. Anyways, sorry to digress! Thanks so much for reading!


	19. Remorse

This one took me a long time to write, as you can see. I'm sorry to keep you all waiting like that! I will return to writing your ideas as soon as I can! This idea was from DarkDrago, and I sorta kinda took it in a weird way.

* * *

It had been just a few weeks since Zak's final battle with Argost. Although the Saturday family seemed the same on the outside, the inside proved to be a different matter. Drew and Doc hadn't gone through any considerable changes to speak of, but something was definitely different with Zak.

The young boy had been strongly affected by his battle as well as the death of Van Rook. He found it difficult to laugh at some of the things that he used to find hilarious and he hardly cracked jokes any more. His family was worried about him, but they believed that he only needed time to let everything sink in.

With Argost gone, the Saturdays continued their work in keeping the existence of cryptids a secret. They had heard news reports of a strange cryptid, once thought to be just a hoax.

The Saturdays' mission took them back to Wadi's village, but the visit certainly wasn't for jovial reasons. The Monkey Man of New Delhi, once simply a product of mass hysteria, was back in the spotlight again, eleven years after reports were first filed. Doc and Drew didn't investigate the Monkey Man's appearances all those years ago because there had been no solid proof that an actual cryptid was creating chaos in Delhi. This time, however, was certainly different.

The so-called Monkey Man had made a sudden reappearance in Delhi's news. It seemed that the hysteria had started up again, but this time, people were dying. There were reports of deaths in the first wave of hysteria, but they had simply been marked as unfortunate accidents. The deaths occurring now were clearly not accidents.

If the Monkey Man's pattern of attacks continued, he would soon reach Wadi's village. Zak had nearly panicked when he heard that. Drew and Doc would've found his worry over a girl cute, but the danger was too real.

The Saturdays arrived in the small village late in the morning. The heat was stifling and didn't show any signs of cooling down for the evening. Wadi's father, the leader of the village, greeted the family happily, but with a fearful attitude, "It is good to see you back here, but not so much under these circumstances."

"It's good to see you, too," Drew said, shaking his hand. Doc and Zak shook it as well. "What all have you heard about the Monkey Man?"

"We probably know exactly what you do. There has been a pattern of unexplained deaths throughout the villages around Delhi. No one can explain the cause of these deaths, but the hysteria has caused people to claim it's the Monkey Man," Wadi's father explained.

"It's not a lot to go off of," Doc mused.

"The pattern the so-called 'Monkey-Man' has been following suggests that he'll attack around midnight tonight," Wadi's father said.

"Well, we'll be ready for him. Or whatever it is," Drew assured. She reached behind her head and gripped the hilt of her sword to reinforce her statement.

"It is good to have you helping us. If this is the Monkey Man, your experience in cryptids will help us greatly. Now, we have all of today to prepare the village for the supposed attack tonight. I do not want to take any risks, so all precautions must be met. Please, follow me and we can get started," Wadi's father turned and led Doc, Drew, Zon, and Komodo towards the village's meeting tent.

Zak and Fisk stayed behind and watched their parents walk off. Fisk mumbled something to which Zak responded, "Yeah, we'll help out. We're going to see Wadi first, though. I want to see how she's doing."

Before Zak could take another step, he nearly tripped over the pants that had fallen down to his ankles. He grimaced and looked behind him. Wadi stood a couple of feet away and waved innocently. She vainly tried to hide her yo-yo and Zak's pants behind her back.

"Come on now, Wadi," Zak said. "You're stealing my pants even when your village is in danger?"

"Of course, Zak Saturday. I need to do something to relieve the tension!" Wadi laughed and offered Zak his pants.

He snatched them out of her hands and said, "It's good to see you, too, I guess."

"Do not be like that! Just because you have not seen me in a while does not mean you can suddenly act all grown up and tough you know."

"Grown up and tough? This Monkey Man's killed people! It isn't a laughing matter!"

"Do not think for a second that I am clueless as to what this Monkey Man can do," Wadi said softly, but firmly.

Zak stared at Wadi, dumbfounded. "If you know how serious things are, how can you laugh about them?"

"Look at you, saying something like that about me. You used to always make jokes even in the darkest of times." Wadi took a step closer to Zak and put her hand on his shoulder. He looked away from her and stared instead at the ground. "What happened to you, Zak Saturday?"

Zak shrugged her hand off his shoulder and said, "I'm going to see my parents and find out what we can do to help your people." He left Wadi behind and entered the village's meeting hut. The villagers inside were talking amongst themselves. Their meeting was apparently over.

"Hey, kiddo," Drew greeted. She ruffled Zak's hair as sat down next to her.

"Did you guys find out what we're going to do tonight?" he asked.

"Sort of. We know that we're going to be on lookout duty around the perimeter of the village. If we see anything suspicious, we're supposed to alert the others on lookout," Doc explained.

"And then what?"

"We just have to go from there," Drew answered.

"I don't like it, but that's how it has to be," Doc said. "We don't know anything about this Monkey Man."

"What about those reports back in 2001?" Zak asked, trying to work things out in his mind.

"We don't know if that was the same Monkey Man we're dealing with now," Drew explained.

The family sat in silence, mulling things over in their minds. Zak soon gave up and instead surveyed the room. The villagers seemed to almost be excited for this fight. He looked around again and decided 'excited' wasn't the right word. They were more anxious, now that he thought about it. He thought about how, before the War of the Cryptids, this would've been just another mission to him. Things seemed so much more personal, so much more real.

Zak slid off his seat and said, "I'm going for a walk with Fisk. Let me know if I can help out with the preparations." Fisk looked at his brother concernedly, but followed him out of the room without a word.

On their way towards the village's border, Zak caught sight of Wadi. She was working with some of the villagers to create paths for the lookouts to cover later on. She happened to look his way and made eye contact. Before Zak could do anything, she quickly looked away and continued her work.

Zak sighed, ignoring Fisk's worried look. The two were now outside of the village's borders and Zak didn't have a clue where he was going. He just knew that he needed to get away from Wadi.

She seemed so different. Someone in her situation surely couldn't laugh and joke when lives were at stake. He thought of his dad's reaction when Zak had tried to joke at Weird World. He now understood that Doc suffered more tension than he did, and now he also understood knew why.

"Zak?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin. He spun around to find himself face to face with Wadi.

"Geez, don't do that to me! You could've given me a heart attack!" he exclaimed.

Wadi gave him a small smile and said, "Perhaps you really are not so far gone after all."

Zak didn't know what she meant, but that wasn't important right now. "Did you finish planning?"

"Yes," Wadi responded, her smile fading. "The Monkey Man won't find it easy to get into the village."

"That's good news."

"What happened to you?" Wadi asked, her face full of concern.

Zak sat down on a nearby rock and sighed. "I guess I learned that the world isn't all fun and games."

Wadi stood in front of him and looked down. "No, it certainly is not. That is no reason to become so glum and depressing."

"What do you want me to do, Wadi?" Zak said defiantly.

"I want the old Zak back. The one who was not afraid of anything, the one who would laugh in the face of danger," she replied quietly, fixing her eyes on his.

Zak held her gaze for only a few moments before looking down. "I don't think that Zak's ever coming back."

"And why not?"

"I watched three people die. One died in the search for power, the other sacrificed himself, and the last died from arrogance. Those people are gone and are never coming back. What if the Monkey Man kills tonight?"

Wadi sighed and sat next to Zak. "Death is part of the world's cycle. Everyone meets it sooner or later."

"I know that," Zak said. "But what about the people left behind? What if someone close to you dies, like your father? What if I lose one of my family?"

Wadi kicked the sand around beneath her feet and said, "Yes, we are left to grieve. As a matter of fact, I am still grieving over my mother, who I lost five years ago. Despite what we feel, we go on. I believe that is what it means to really live. You continue no matter what happens."

"Some people can't go on, though."

"Those people cannot find their will to live, therefore, they do not."

Zak sat in silence, wondering how someone his age had learned so much so soon in life. "How do you do it, Wadi? How can you joke knowing all that you do?"

"I know how to live. Yes, there are times when I miss Mother greatly, but I will not bring down others for my own sake. That is why I continue to smile and laugh. That is why I care."

Zak opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a loud growl from behind the rock. He and Wadi jumped up and backed away cautiously. Fisk mumbled a stream of gibberish as he nervously tried to see what was behind the rock.

A black, furry form jumped through the air and landed on the rock. It stared at its prey, sizing it up. Zak, Wadi, and Fisk remained still, too terrified to move. The Monkey Man growled again and moved its gaze back and forth over the three. It scrunched up its nose and sniffed, looking for something.

Wadi lost her balance for a moment and stepped back to regain it, but that little movement was all the Monkey Man needed. It jumped at the girl with its arms extended to attack.

Zak pushed Wadi out of the way and Fisk jumped at the Monkey Man. The two cryptids locked in a struggle, each trying to overpower the other. The Monkey Man used a sudden burst of strength to hurl Fisk to the ground. He turned on Zak and Wadi and pounced. He landed on Zak and pinned the boy to the ground. He lifted a clawed hand to attack, but it was yanked back by a yo-yo string.

The Monkey Man swung its free arm at Wadi and made direct contact. She was knocked off her feet and fell hard against the rock a couple feet away. Fisk roared and jumped onto the Monkey Man's back and Zak lunged at his legs. The two brought the Monkey Man crashing to the ground and attempted to pin him to the ground. However, the brutal cryptid didn't go down so easily. It didn't cause mass hysteria just by running around and scaring people.

Zak found himself flattened on his back, pinned to the ground once more. Fisk let out a loud cry and rushed at the Monkey Man. The Monkey Man lifted a hand and grabbed Fisk by the fur on his neck. He lifted Fisk into the air and threw him to the ground. It never let up on Zak.

"Get off of him!"

There was a flash of light and the Monkey Man flew off of Zak. Zak sat up as his mother and father ran past him to capture the cryptid. He got to his feet with Fisk's help and the two ran over to check on Wadi.

She wasn't moving when they reached her side. Her eyes were closed, but Zak noticed the steady rise and fall of her chest. A feeling of panic rose in his own chest. He feared that his worst fear would come to pass.

The feeling of dread was soon replaced with one of relief. Wadi's eyes fluttered open and scanned her surroundings. "Zak?" she whispered.

"Everything's okay," he replied. "My parents have the Monkey Man. It's not going to hurt anyone. You hit your head and scared me half to death!"

"You were really that concerned?" Wadi asked, surprised.

"Of course. Who would I beat in Capture the Flag if I didn't have you?" Zak grinned.

Wadi punched Zak on the shoulder and got to her feet. "It is good to have you back, Zak Saturday."

* * *

This comes from the idea that Zak had trouble coping with things after War of the Cryptids. It was kinda angst-y, but that's why he had Wadi to help him! Thank you all for your patience and for reading!

By the way, if anyone's interested, I recently watched Casablanca and can definitely say that it lives up to its hype. It's a great movie and definitely worth watching!


	20. Job Description

This little one-shot came about because I realized the last one wasn't exactly too romantic. Therefore, this is to fix that mistake up for DarkDrago!

* * *

"Zak!" Drew called. "You have a visitor!"

A visitor was here for him? The Saturday household hardly got any visitors, mainly because it was hidden pretty well and that was before it was destroyed by the Robot Fisks. The family hadn't had anyone visit since the house was rebuilt right after Argost's defeat.

Zak paused his video game and walked to the front door. To his surprise, Wadi stood in the doorframe and waved at him.

"Wadi!" Zak said, running over to her. "What are you doing here?"

"Father needed to come to the area to do some business for the village and he let me stop and see you while he was working," Wadi smiled. She stepped into the house and pulled the door shut behind her.

Drew smiled to herself and said, "I'll be in the kitchen if you two need anything!" Her smile only grew bigger as she walked away.

"Business?" Zak repeated. "What kind of business would bring your Father all the way to America?"

"I am not too sure. It has something to do with upgrading the village's technology," Wadi shrugged. "When he told me where he was going, I asked if I could come along and visit you."

Zak felt his cheeks heat up. "You didn't have to come all the way to the other side of the world just to see me."

"That is exactly why I wanted to come along. I have not seen you since your birthday party. It has certainly been too long."

Zak stood with his mouth open for a moment before managing to speak, "Do you want a drink or something?"

"That is quite alright. Thank you for the offer, though," Wadi said. "Well, are you going to just have me stand here?"

"Of course not! Do you want to play a game or something?" Zak asked nervously.

"A game?" Wadi asked, puzzled.

"You know, a video –"

"Zak!" Drew interrupted Zak from her place at the kitchen door. "Can you come here for a moment?" With an apologetic look, Zak walked to his mother and she pulled him into the kitchen. She shut the door behind them and hissed, "A video game, Zak? Really?"

"What?" Zak asked.

"Wadi came here just to see you. You don't offer to play a video game with her after that!" Drew chided.

Taken aback, Zak stuttered, "W-what am I supposed to d-do then?"

Drew sighed. "Maybe you are as bad as your father was. Why don't you offer to take her on a walk? I'm sure she wants to talk to you."

"About what?"

"Never mind! Just go ask!"

Drew pushed Zak out of the door and shut it again. It was only after Zak started to walk back to Wadi did he realize that his mom must have been listening to them to have heard what they were saying. He cleared his throat and said, "Hey, Wadi, do you want to go for a walk or something?"

Her face lit up and she said, "That sounds great!"

Zak returned the smile despite his sudden wave of anxiety. "Alright, yeah. Let's go then." He opened the door for Wadi and followed her outside. The two walked side by side off the porch and into the surrounding woods.

Neither said a thing as they moved. Zak was at a loss for words while Wadi waited for him to say something. Finally, he managed, "Um… So what made you come all the way out here?"

Wadi giggled. "I told you I came to visit you."

"Oh, right," Zak said, beating himself up internally. Why was it suddenly so difficult to talk to her?

"You are unusually quiet today, Zak Saturday. What happened to that arrogant, happy Zak I wanted to see?" Wadi asked, smiling sadly.

"Arrogant? I'm not arrogant!" Zak shot back.

"Ah, it seems I have found him!" Wadi laughed.

"What do you mean?" he asked defensively.

"Oh, it is nothing, nothing at all," she laughed harder. "I am glad that saving the world really has not changed you too much."

"You're making no sense, Wadi!"

"And that is quite fine by me."

Zak groaned. Girls. How could he ever hope to understand them?

The two walked further into the woods, again falling into silence. The wind whistled through the trees. The sun tried to peek through the branches above, but the leaves tried just as hard to hide it.

"Arrogant or not, I want to thank you for saving the world," Wadi finally said.

Zak could feel his cheeks go red. Was he seriously blushing at a moment like this? How could he blush? It was just Wadi! "Eh, it's a part of the job description," he shrugged.

"You had the powers of a mystical being and you chose to use them to save the world! Was that part of this job description you speak of?" she said, surprised.

"It's just what I would have done."

Wadi stopped in her tracks and Zak did the same. "What's up?" he asked, looking around the woods for something she might have seen.

In a flash, she stepped in front of him and kissed him on the lips. Before Zak could register what was happening, she stepped away and continued walking. He stood rooted to the spot and called, "What was that for?"

Wadi called back without turning around, "For doing your job."

* * *

Okay, so that one wasn't overly romantic either. For whatever reason, Zak goes major OOC here. I guess I believe his experience in saving the world would have had a major impact on him. Well, thanks for reading anyways! Leave a review if you'd like, and leave one especially if you have an idea for a one-shot to add here! Don't forget to check out the movie Casablanca if you can :3 You won't regret it!


	21. Grey Matter

Whoo! Another update so soon! The idea for this installment was suggested by Babydollgonewrong13!

* * *

Francis and Epsilon stood face to face; the former waited for orders while the latter analyzed his "son." The elder took a step forward and said, "It is time for your final test. As a sixteen-year-old and one of the People, you are required to prove that you truly are perfect spy material."

"Yes, Father. What is the final test?" Francis responded almost mechanically.

"It is a test that has been designed to evaluate whether or not you have fully mastered your feelings. Your control over emotions determines your future," Epsilon explained as he adjusted his Sonic Collar. "I have trained you, so I am fully confident that you will handle this test without a problem."

"Yes, Father," Francis said firmly. However, he wasn't so sure that he could do this like his father believed he could. It had been three years since Francis's last encounter with Zak Saturday, but he remembered it vividly. It was the first time that he considered letting his feelings interfere with his work.

Ever since that fateful conversation, Francis was torn between becoming the perfect spy and becoming human. One side was full of mystery, adventure, and perfection. The other brimmed with life. The fork in the road stood before him, waiting for what he deemed the right option. Three years or not, no amount of time could have prepared Francis for this.

"The test that all clones must undergo is a rather controversial one, but an effective one, nonetheless. As I said, it is to determine whether or not you have eliminated emotions. The student must bring the teacher near death," Epsilon said.

Francis almost gasped in shock, but he caught himself. He managed a quiet, "Yes, Father."

"Those that find the test controversial are the ones that have failed it. The failures live worthless lives while their teachers are all but banished from the People, having been declared failures as well."

This time, Francis didn't answer.

"I will, of course, be fighting against you. This is also a test to see all that you have learned. Controlling feelings, although important, will get you nowhere if you do not have skills."

"Yes, Father."

"We will begin, now!" Epsilon lunged at Francis unexpectedly. The boy sidestepped his father's outstretched hand and sent out a couple waves with his Sonic Collar. Epsilon cringed at the noise, but rushed forward to attack again. Francis dodged Epsilon again but the older man was ready for that. He kicked his leg, aiming for Francis's head. His son ducked and tried an attack of his own. Francis crouched onto the ground and swung his leg at Epsilon, hoping to trip him up. Epsilon easily jumped over the leg and reached for Francis's Sonic Collar. Francis batted Epsilon's hand away and aimed a punch at his father's face. Epsilon grabbed his son's wrist and easily hoisted him into the air. He opened his mouth to speak, but Francis swung his free arm, connecting with Epsilon's jaw. He released his captive upon the impact.

Francis turned on the spot and ran out of the training area. If he wanted to pass the test, he needed a stronger weapon than his Sonic Collar. The training base's armory was his best bet. Boundaries hadn't been discussed before the start of the test, but he didn't hear Epsilon shouting for him to stop.

Once he reached the armory's door, he quickly and coolly punched in the passcode and had his hand scanned for recognition. The doors swished open and he ran inside, making sure the doors closed behind him. They would give a little bit of an advantage, but only until Epsilon opened them.

Francis scanned the room for a suitable weapon. He spotted a rack supporting a few of the Saturdays' Cortex Disrupters. He grabbed one from the rack and hid behind a decommissioned robot walker. He heard the door open and close.

Immediately, he stood up and fired the Cortex Disrupter. Epsilon stepped out of the beam's path, but wasn't quick enough to avoid it hitting his shoulder. He sprinted towards the robot walker and vaulted over it, landing behind Francis. He wrapped his arms around Francis, pinning the boy to his body. The steam from Epsilon's singed suit clouded Francis's vision as he struggled to free himself. He managed to land a kick to Epsilon's gut, causing the man to slacken his grip slightly. Francis raised the Cortex Disrupter and pointed it over his shoulder at what he hoped to be Epsilon's face. Just as he fired, Epsilon dropped him and jumped out of the way of the blast.

Epsilon was left a bit disoriented, but Francis was ready. He shot the Cortex Disrupter at Epsilon's legs. The man's legs gave out upon impact and he fell. Francis quickly stepped to his side as Epsilon rolled over on his back. He kept his weapon pointed at his teacher, but did not fire.

Why was he hesitating to pull the trigger? The weapon could surely do enough damage to Epsilon to pass the test. Why couldn't he just do it?

"_Yes, Father. No, Father. Right away, Father. Whatever you say, Father."_

This wasn't the time to think about the words that have haunted him for three years!

"_Look, they can tell us what they think we are: monster, clone, whatever, but they can't tell us what we have to be."_

Francis sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, Zak's words had really gotten to him.

"What are you doing?" Epsilon blurted out.

"Look, Fath – Epsilon. I've been thinking about something for a few years now," Francis began.

"This is not story time! Shoot me!"

"No."

"What did you say to me?"

"I said, no," Francis said, feeling more confident. "If I shoot you, you'll be gravely injured, as is part of the test. If I pass the test, I'll become the perfect cloned spy, just as I am supposed to be. What about what I want to be?"

"I thought you had mastered your personal feelings!" Epsilon said, his rage rising.

"My personal feelings are what I'm going to live by from now on."

"Your personal feelings are going to get me banished!"

Francis smirked and said, "What, are you scared?"

"I don't feel fear!" Epsilon shot back.

"Then you won't be upset when you're exiled."

Epsilon's eyes widened. He stuttered incoherently before saying, "I will find you and I will make sure you pay! The grey men do everything to be perfect and we can't have a failure like you blotting our name!"

"Just try and catch me. I'm the good guy in grey, unpredictable, perfect, and ready for anything!" Francis threw the Cortex Disrupter to the side and turned to leave the armory.

Seeing Epsilon transform into a scared wreck was definitely unsettling, but Francis was even more shocked that Epsilon's next words come out as a plea, "If you're listening to personal feelings, then surely you can't bear to leave your father to face the superiors just to be exiled and abandoned?"

"Sorry," Francis said as he opened the door. "I have no personal feelings for you." He exited the armory, leaving Epsilon, nothing now but a scared, twisted man, behind.

* * *

That certainly was a fun one to write, and satisfying, too. I'll warn everyone now that I may not update for a while. I will be moving into college on Thursday and will need some time to adjust. Yep, I'm 18, writing Secret Saturdays fanfiction, and proud. Thanks for reading and leave a lovely review if you're feeling generous!


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